The Queen of Hearts: AU Continuation
by eliza2247
Summary: An AU Continuation of Grim Peasant's story The Queen of Hearts. Disclaimer, this is vastly different than the original story. Not NaruHina.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Now this is an AU continuation of The Queen of Hearts by the amazing author Grim Peasant. For a bit of background, this author was my inspiration to publish stories on this site. Go give this author love and support for their amazing stories. I have gotten permission from the author to publish this AU Continuation. Since this a continuation it is highly recommended that you read Grim Peasant's story first to capture the essence of this story. When I wrote this AU, chapter 24 was not up yet so this story begins with chapter 24. I hope you enjoy!

Here is the link for the story: s/11355866/1/Queen-of-Hearts

Summary: An AU Continuation of Grim Peasant's story The Queen of Hearts

Disclaimer: Rated M just to be safe. There will be cuss words and some semi-explicit scenes. I do not own anything. The Naruto universe belongs to its respected parties. The story from chapter 1 to 23 is all Grim Peasant.

The Queen of Hearts: AU Continuation

Chapter 24

"Hinata-sama?" Gaara gently whispered to the crying woman.

Hinata continued to look down at the soft carpet under her knees. She clutched the red scarf to her chest and she could feel the stinging sensations of the flowing tears. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Gaara slowly kneel beside her. His hand was softly placed on her shoulder in a way to comfort her. Hinata felt a new surge of tears and she jumped towards Gaara. She wrapped her arms around Gaara's shoulders and she tucked her head into his chest. "O-Oh, G-Gaara!" She wailed out. Her sobs were coming out haggard and rough. The emotions she had tried to keep in were coming out in full force and she could no longer stop the constant waves of pain.

Gaara flinched at the sudden contact, he had never seen Hinata this _hurt_. He wrapped his arms strongly around her and let her cry. Gaara felt the sudden urge to murder the Fire King. It didn't matter if he was stronger than him. Gaara needed to show the King that Hinata should not be treated this way. _She is too pure and innocent to be hurt this way. King or no King, I will make you pay for hurting her._ Gaara laid his head on hers as she cried. He enjoyed her presence immensely. She was soft and smelled divine, but she was hurting. If she wanted, he will be her rock and keep her afloat.

He didn't know how long they were both embracing, but the sun was high in the sky, warming the winter weather a bit. Hinata had stopped crying violently, only a couple of sniffles here and there were heard.

Hinata was in a daze as she laid her head on Gaara's chest. Her eyes were undoubtedly red and puffy. She felt her cheeks blush, she could not believe that she broke-down in front of Gaara. She snuggled her head into his chest and she felt Gaara's hold on her tighten. _You are the best friend I could ever ask for, Gaara._ After a few moments of silence, Hinata unwrapped her arms from Gaara's shoulders and she pulled herself away. Gaara gingerly let her go. He already missed the warmth and softness she provided. Hinata sat in front of him, her red face looking at the lump of red cloth on her lap.

Hinata softly held the scarf she made for Gaara. She loved her friend very much and she put her soul and feelings into this. "G-Gaara-kun, I-I m-made this for... y-you." She stuttered out to her companion. She briefly looked up as she handed him her creation.

Gaara looked stunned at the cloth, _S-She made_ _ **me**_ _something?_ Gaara almost didn't want to touch it because he feared that he would taint the delicate cloth with his impurities. But Gaara knew that Hinata would be heartbroken if he did not accept her gift, and there will be no way that he will hurt her. Gaara slowly reached for the cloth. His fingertips tingled as soon as he felt it. He could feel Hinata's essence in the scarf. He could feel her hard-work, her care, her loyalty, her love, and her _**friendship**_ **.** Gaara swallowed thickly, he always knew that she did not love him like how he loved her, and this scarf was just another piece of evidence. He wanted to be angry, but the other emotions that imbedded the scarf quelled his bitter feelings. He softly picked it up from her hands and brought it to him. He unwrapped the cloth and it turned out to be a red scarf. It was perfect for the cold weather. Gaara smiled softly, she was always so thoughtful. He wrapped it around his neck. It was the warmest and softest thing that had ever graced his skin.

Hinata peeked over to Gaara as he wrapped it around his neck, "D-Do y-you like it?" She gently asked.

Gaara gave her a warm look, "I love it. Thank you."

Hinata beamed at his response. It warmed her cold soul to hear those words. Hinata blushed at the thought of her bawling like an infant in his arms previously. "G-Gaara-kun, I-I'm sorry that I j-jumped you like that when I was c-crying." Hinata said.

Gaara looked at her bowed head, he moved his hand to cup her chin and raised her head to look at him. She had an adorable surprised face and he felt his heart thump rapidly. She was too beautiful for her own good. Gaara gently shook his head, "I am your friend, Hinata-sama. I will be here for you in the good and bad times. There is no need to apologize."

Hinata jumped back in his arms, "G-Gaara, you are my dear friend. T-Thank y-you. I cannot express how happy that makes me."

Gaara chuckled at Hinata's childish behavior. He patted her head softly and Hinata hummed happily. She quickly let him go and stood up from the floor. She looked around her room and she sighed sadly. She wanted to cry again, but she had no more tears to give. Hinata raised an arm to her chest, as she sadly looked at the room. She will never see this beautiful room ever again.

Gaara stood up as well, "Hinata-sama, is something wrong?"

Hinata looked at him with sad eyes, and she nodded. "G-Gaara-kun, I h-have been told to l-leave. The King and the new Princess Karin have decided that I should g-go."

Gaara once again felt anger and hate towards the King. _No matter, I will get my revenge on you King Naruto. Hinata loved you and you let her go._ Gaara felt the tingle of hope in his heart. _If you do not want her then I will take her._

"Gaara-kun, w-would it be much trouble to ask for your help? I need to gather my belongings." Hinata softly asked him. He looked at her sad white orbs, _I may not be able to kill you Naruto, but I will vow to at least punch your face in._

Gaara nodded at Hinata's request. In less than a half-hour, Hinata and him finished packing up all her belongings.

Hinata let out a small laugh, "I always forget that I do not have many possessions."

"There is no shame in that, Hinata. Material items are just a hassle." Gaara replied.

Hinata smiled at her friend, "G-Gaara-kun, there is one last thing I must do. Please wait for me here, I will be back quickly."

Gaara looked at her curiously but nodded anyway.

Hinata quickly left her room and rushed to her last destination. She quickly opened Naruto's bedroom door. His musky smell invaded her senses as she walked in. _How long has it been since we have been in each other's presence?_ She saw his bed and remembered the distant memory of her cuddling with Naruto. She remembered the warmth and peace that caressed her soul as she held Naruto. She slowly traced the sheets of his bed and sighed sadly. She would have one day shared a bed with him. A painful sob got caught in her throat. Hinata raised her left hand and slowly pulled the two rings that Naruto gave her. Another pang went through her as she remembered the day. Hinata's eyes stung with unshed tears, she grasped the rings tightly in her hand. A wave of anger swept through her and she gasped at the foreign feeling. _Naruto, you never loved me. You lied to me. Y-You led me to b-believe in you._ Hinata angrily wiped the tears that were forming. He had asked her to leave and so it shall be. She uncurled her hand and looked at the rings. This will be her last time to see such beautiful jewelry. She sighed again, and she placed the rings on the bed. She walked out of the room and closed the door. She rested tiredly on the closed door. _This took more energy than I thought it would._ Hinata took slow breaths to calm her aching heart. She needed to leave before Naruto came back. She knew that she would not be able to live if he told her to leave.

Hinata rushed to her room, she wanted to escape this cursed palace. When she opened her door, Gaara was still standing there waiting for her. She ran to him and wrapped her arms around him. She always felt calmer when Gaara embraced her. He was able to soothe the constant ache, even if it was for a moment.

"Shall we leave Hinata-sama?" Gaara softly asked her as he pat her head.

Hinata nodded and separated herself from Gaara. She gathered a small parcel and Gaara gathered the larger one. They slowly walked to the exit of the palace.

"Do you not want to say goodbye to your friends?" Gaara asked.

Hinata bit her lip. She wanted to say her farewells, but she did not want to see their faces of pity. She didn't want people to feel sorry for her because it made her feel weak. She shook her head at Gaara's question.

Gaara nodded in acknowledgement. This place only hurt his most precious friend.

Surprisingly, there was no one in the hallway and they had no interruptions except when they reached the exit. One of the guards was not letting them leave.

"I apologize Princess, but the King has not authorized your departure. I am not allowed to let you leave the castle." The guard told her.

Hinata's heart ached and she looked sadly to the guard. "P-Please, I-I w-will not be able to face h-him w-when he tells me that I-I n-need to l-leave."

The guard could feel the utter desperation and sadness in her words, but the King's orders were the King's orders. He was about to send her back, but a new voice spoke.

"Let her leave. Naruto already picked me as his bride. She is no longer needed here. Save the King the trouble of confronting the poor girl." Princess Karin told the guard as she walked towards them.

The guard looked at her with an analytical look, he then softened his look as he saw the distraught princess. He sighed, _Poor girl, she does not need any more pain._

The guard moved back to his original position by the exit, "As you wish Princess Karin." Hinata smiled faintly, and she looked back at Karin. "T-Thank y-you for being k-kind." Princess Karin rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah just go already." Princess Karin then walked away.

Gaara growled at Karin's behavior toward Hinata. A soft hand pulled back his attention. Hinata placed her hand on his and pulled him to the exit. "D-Don't be angry Gaara-kun, she will be the Queen of Fire and she has other d-duties to get to. Let us go." Hinata offered him a small smile that didn't reach her eyes. Gaara nodded his head and followed her out.

The chilly weather of the season made Gaara appreciate more the scarf that Hinata knit him. Hinata and him finally reached the exit of the palace. Hinata looked around the kingdom. Hinata mentally slapped herself. _How am I going to return home?_

Gaara finally understood the dilemma that was stressing his Princess.

"Hinata-sama, we should get a carriage to transport us to the harbor to catch a boat to the Land of Waves." Gaara told her.

Hinata smiled at his plan, but then she looked solemnly down to her feet. "G-Gaara-kun, I am no longer a bride-to-be and I am no longer in need of an aid. You were only paid for the competition. Since I am no longer in the…" Hinata was hushed by Gaara patting her head softly.

"Hinata-sama, I will protect you and help you because I am your friend. The competition had no influence on me being by your side." Gaara told her.

Hinata looked up at him with a bright smile, "Thank you so much, Gaara-kun. I-I don't have much money to pay you for your generosity, b-but I will think of some way to pay you back for everything you have done for me. I promise."

Gaara chuckled, "Being by your side and seeing you smile is enough payment for me, do not worry yourself."

Hinata shook her head, "I will work hard and pay back every penny, Gaara-kun. It does not matter how long it will take."

Gaara felt his heart lurched at her promise, _I do not need the money, yet she still wants to re-pay me. I love you, Hinata._

Gaara pet her head again and walked to one of the carriages.

Hinata blushed at Gaara's affection and she followed behind him.

They were both seated inside the carriage, and she was grateful that the walls were able to diminish the cold from the winds raging outside. She huddled herself closer into her cloak. The rock and dirt road created a very bumpy ride for the two passengers. At some points, there would be a sudden dip that made Hinata fly out of her seat. Gaara chuckled at Hinata's clumsiness and Hinata managed to give him a playful glare.

Another hard bump made Hinata fly up.

"OH NO! WE ARE GOING TO CRASH!" Hinata heard the driver say. She quickly looked at Gaara, her eyes widened in fear. The carriage was shaking vigorously, and the horse was howling.

Hinata felt the carriage start to dip forward, and she held onto the walls of the carriage to keep her as upright as possible. She closed her eyes as she awaited her demise and she mentally prayed for the safety of Gaara. _If anyone deserved to live, he deserves this chance._

For a moment, the trembling of the carriage seized. She opened her eyes to look out of the window. She saw that they were suspended in the air. She then immediately closed her eyes again. _Ah, so I will die by plunging to my death._ The sudden plummet made her let out a piercing scream. Her eyes were closed tightly awaiting the sudden pain, but there was none. Her heart felt as if it wanted to come out of her chest. Her breaths were heavy, and she felt a _grainy_ substance on her waist. _What?_ Hinata opened her eyes and she looked down. There was a sand arm wrapped around her. _Where did this come from?_ Hinata then realized that she was no longer in the carriage, she was on the forest floor. Hinata followed the sand arm to try to see where it was coming from. Suddenly, a loud thud landed next to her. Hinata gasped, it was the horse and the driver. They were both encased in a sand arm like hers. Another thud landed in front of her. _Gaara!_ She thought worriedly as she saw her friend. The sand arm that encased her dissolved as she moved towards her friend.

Gaara laid face down completely exhausted. _Damn, I used too much chakra at once; but Hinata is alive and that is all that matters._ Gaara thought happily as he felt his eyes slowly could feel himself passing out and as much as he tried to fight it, the chakra exhaustion was hitting him quickly. He felt soft hands on his face and he smiled as he recognized that it was Hinata. He managed to hear her say his name before passing out.

"Gaara, please wake up. I need to know if you are okay." Hinata gently told him as she caressed his face. She looked over Gaara, but there was no obvious sign of injury. It almost looked as if he was sleeping. Hinata looked worriedly at her surroundings, they were stuck in a snowy forest and it was rapidly turning to dusk. She knew that they wouldn't be able to stay here since they would freeze during this winter weather. She needed to find a way to get back into town. Her eyes turned to the driver and his horse. She stood up from her crouching position beside Gaara and walked toward the driver.

"Sir, would it be too much trouble to ask for…" She began until the driver yelled at her.

"LEAVE WITCH! YOU AND YOUR DEMON ARE EVIL!" The driver exclaimed as he got onto his horse and sped away.

Hinata felt her shock ease away and in its place was anger. _Gaara is not a demon!_ Hinata huffed, she did not like how she was getting angry all out of a sudden. Hinata sighed and shook her head. _I have more important things to worry about than my newfound emotions._ She walked back to Gaara and rolled him over so that he laid on his back. She raised his head and laid it on her lap. She sighed sadly. _How are we going to get out of here Gaara? You were always the one who had the best ideas._ Hinata could feel the chill of the air begin to envelop her. _I need to at least start a fire or something._ Hinata looked around her surroundings again; she didn't have a single clue how to begin a fire. _I need to try. I need to do this._

She unwrapped her scarf from her neck and folded it. She gently lifted Gaara's head from her lap and laid his head on the folded scarf as a make-shift pillow. Hinata stood up and warily looked around the forest.

 _First, we must gather wood._ Hinata moved toward the forest edge and started to gather any piece of wood that she laid her eyes on. She accumulated a medium pile of wood beside Gaara. She slowly sat and started to make a makeshift campfire. She had heard that if you rub two sticks together that it would create fire. She picked up two sticks and started rubbing them together. After a couple of minutes, there was still no progress in her fire. Her hands were already chaffing, but she needed to get a fire started for Gaara and herself. She began again. Hinata felt the wood pierce into her palm but she continued. Gaara needed her and she would not disappoint. She felt the sting of tears as the pain increased, but she dared not to stop.

"You are pathetic." A voice said.

Hinata gasped at the sudden intrusion, and she looked up to where she heard the voice.

At the edge of the forest stood a tall man, with jet black hair and eyes. He was wearing a long black coat. She could feel the immense power that he held, and this put her on guard. She slowly moved in front of Gaara to block him from the man.

The man chuckled, "If I wanted to kill you, I would have already done it."

Hinata eyed him suspiciously and did not respond.

The man moved forward, and Hinata stood up and got into a familiar battle stance that Kiba taught her.

The man raised his eyebrow, this woman was strange, but he felt the compulsion to get closer. Those white eyes were beckoning him. They reminded him of _her_.

The man stopped moving forward, and chuckled. This girl was amusing him, and he almost wanted to laugh at the thought. No girl had ever captivated his attention like this since his first love.

"Your stance is laughable. If you want to protect your _lover,_ then you are doing a poor job at that." He told her with a slight glare.

Hinata blushed at the man's words. "H-He is n-not my l-lover." Hinata squeaked out.

The man's eyes sparkled at her words. _Music to my ears._ "Hn." He replied. He continued his approach forward. He wanted to see what she was capable of.

Hinata stiffened at the man's approach, _I need to protect Gaara with everything I have._ When the man was five steps away, she rushed to him with one arm raised, ready to punch him.

Hinata tripped, as she reached where the man once stood. _H-He d-disappeared, b-but he was just here!_ Suddenly, the air left her as she was pushed into a tree. The man held her wrists above her head and his chest was pressed forcefully against hers. She was successfully trapped. Hinata blushed at the man's closeness. She could feel herself become faint as his warmth and power trampled her senses. She could not deny that this intimate position was messing with her senses.

With a bit of bravery, she looked up to see the man's face.

She felt herself blush harder, and her heart was beating rapidly. She tried to calm herself by breathing through her mouth, and it created a more intimate atmosphere. His face was very close to hers and she could feel his warm breath on her face. _H-He is very handsome._ Hinata gulped and she felt a slight ache in hear head. _W-Why does this seem f-familiar?_

The man was in a similar daze. When he first trapped her, he believed that she would be a wild animal. He believed that she would scratch or bite him. He didn't expect _this_. The softness of her flesh against his hard features felt wonderous. The smell of her had his mind spinning as if her smell alone reignited a flame he thought no longer existed. As he looked down at her, he could see the tomato red blush. Her small breaths concentrated his attention on her lips. His genuine curiosity was the only thing that kept him from ravaging her. _Who is she?_ He pressed his chest closer to her and it earned him a delightful gasp. "What's your name?" He huskily whispered out. "H-Hinata." She breathlessly replied. He could see her eyes were half-lidded indicating that she also felt the intimacy that they were both trapped in. "Sasuke." He told her as he moved his head to her ear. He felt her shiver against him and he grasped her wrists tighter, earning him a squeak. He was intoxicated by her smell of lavender. With his other hand, he gently touched her cheek. "S-Sasuke!" She squeaked out at the sudden touch.

Sasuke's eyes went back to her lips, he placed his lips over hers. The instant _electrifying_ feeling shot through them. Her lips were smooth and plump, and this made him push harder into the kiss. Hinata's eyes were wide at the sudden kiss, but it felt _good_. It sent a tingle throughout her body and it felt as if it was some forbidden pleasure from a distant past. She felt her eyes slowly close, and she gently pushed into the kiss to deepen it. Sasuke smirked as he felt her kiss back. He hadn't felt this alive in _years_ and the kiss was invoking new feelings he never knew he had. As their kiss continued, it began to get more heated. Sasuke's free hand moved to her hip and Hinata opened her mouth in surprise. This gave Sasuke the chance to explore her mouth with his tongue. He felt Hinata moan into the kiss. Sasuke hummed in pleasure and he unconsciously let go of her wrists while she wrapped her arms around his neck.

Hinata blushed at the kiss they were having. It was shocking her senses. Her tongue shyly played with his. She wanted to stop this wonton attitude, but it felt too _good_. Hinata felt Sasuke's hands lift her legs from the ground, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. They were even closer than before. Sasuke separated his lips from hers and moved to kiss her neck. Hinata moaned out at the sudden contact. She squirmed in his arms and Sasuke grunted. She was pressing delightfully into his hips. He stopped his advances on her, and he rested his head on her chest. He felt as if his whole body was struck with lightning. His whole body tingled. He felt as if he was drained from chakra. Sasuke chuckled at the thought of this woman draining his chakra with those wonderful kisses of hers. _I would gladly die of chakra exhaustion if that was the case_.

Hinata laid her head on Sasuke's, she felt extremely tired. The blush that covered her face was hard as ever and it was starting to hurt. Hinata took some calming breaths and mentally thanked Sasuke for halting his touches. She was not sure if she would have been able to stay conscious through it if it continued. She let her head fall back to the tree trunk. The tremendous headache she now registered was taking its toll on her.

After a couple of moments, she finally cleared her head enough to notice that it was dark, and the cold was invading her. Hinata pushed herself back a bit from Sasuke, "S-Sasuke, i-it is d-dark and…" She was once again being kissed by Sasuke, but it was a quick peck than the passionate one they shared moments before. Hinata blushed at his forwardness, she unwrapped her legs from around him as he placed her back on the floor. Hinata held the tree behind her, her legs were still wobbly. "Let's go." Sasuke told her as he walked deeper into the forest. Hinata stood there watching him, "B-But G-Gaara…" She told him. Sasuke turned his face to look at her and then looked at the body of Gaara on the floor. Sasuke glared intensely at him, he then looked at Hinata. "Is he your lover?" He asked her, a small hint of jealousy lacing his question. Hinata vigorously shook her head, "H-He is m-my friend. H-He s-saves me and p-protects me."

"Hn."

Sasuke walked toward Gaara and effortlessly picked him up and placed him over his shoulder. He then continued to walk into the forest. "Follow." He told Hinata. Hinata nodded and wobbled to him, "T-Thank you, S-Sasuke." She told him.

"Hn."

They walked for about fifteen minutes, until they reached a small cottage. Hinata's eyes widened, the place was clearly not maintained. There was long grass and there were weeds everywhere. What surprised her the most was the lack of snow or cold weather when they reached the perimeter of the cottage. "There is a barrier that keeps the temperature constant. I do not appreciate the cold." Sasuke told her as they approached the door of the cottage. Hinata looked around the cottage perimeter in awe. Hinata saw a small unattended garden at the far side of the cottage. She mentally told herself that she would take care of it if she ever had the chance. Sasuke opened the door and with a quick hand movement the cottage lit up. Torches were placed everywhere that gave the cottage a warmer feel. Hinata sighed in content. The coldness was finally leaving her body. Sasuke placed Gaara on a couch. Hinata rushed to Gaara, and she took off her coat and wrapped Gaara in it. She felt his skin and it was ice cold, fortunately he was still alive. Hopefully, her coat would help warm him up. She gently brushed his hair to the side and caressed his cold cheek with her warm hand. She wished that she could give him some of her warmth.

She heard a small growl, and she looked behind and saw Sasuke giving her a glare. He pulled her towards him. She was pressed tightly into him and she felt her cheeks warm up. "You can only touch me like that." He murmured to her. His face was buried in her hair and she felt her hair tickle her neck. "I-I don't understand." She told him. Sasuke moved his face to hers, and she felt the blush grow. In better lighting, she realized that Sasuke was even more handsome. "I don't like it when you touch other men. You will only touch me." He told her. His voice was very authoritative and held no room to argue. Hinata nodded, she did not want to upset Sasuke since he was being very generous to her and Gaara. "Good." Sasuke softly told her. He then gave her kiss and Hinata pushed softly into the kiss. She already knew that his kisses were becoming addicting to her and this worried her. The last time someone's kisses had her this way was with Naru- _No! Don't think of him._ Hinata pulled away from Sasuke, blushing and looking shyly at his chest.

Sasuke let her go and he walked towards Gaara. He had felt a familiar power from the red head. _Interesting, he has a tailed beast just like the Dobe. Although, much weaker._ Hinata stood next to him, as she looked at Gaara. She tentatively reached out to him until Sasuke growled. Hinata eeped and retracted her hand. "S-Sorry, I-I am just w-worried for him. G-Gaara p-passed out after he s-saved me." Hinata told Sasuke sadly. Sasuke rolled his eyes at the worried girl, "It is just chakra exhaustion. He just needs to rest." Hinata was about to respond, but a loud grumble escaped her. She blushed heavily, as she looked at her stomach.

Sasuke smirked down to her, she was such an innocent thing. His eyes darkened as he remembered her being wrapped around him, _Not that innocent._ He wanted to kiss her again, but the loud grumble was heard again. Sasuke rolled his eyes, he at least needed to feed the girl that captivated his attention. "Come." Sasuke told her as he walked away.

Hinata blushed and she followed him after giving Gaara a glance over. Sasuke led her to a kitchen. Sasuke inwardly cringed at the state the kitchen was in, _Great way to show her what a slob you are._ Hinata gasped as she saw the mess. Her feet were sticking to the floor in some parts. "Um… S-Sasuke, I-I could c-clean your k-kitchen t-tomorrow if you wouldn't mind." She told him. "I-It's the least I could do for your g-generosity."

"Hn." Sasuke moved to sit at the small table that was in the kitchen. His head rested on his hand and he had his eyes closed. Hinata stood awkwardly in the kitchen. _Is he giving me permission to use the kitchen?_ Hinata cautiously moved to open a cupboard, she opened it and she was met with a nauseous smell. She quickly closed it and pinched her nose. She heard Sasuke chuckle and she glared at him.

He smirked at her innocent glare. _She looks as threatening as a bunny_. Hinata rolled her eyes at his smirk, and Hinata felt herself become self-conscious. This man was making her experience feelings that she never expressed before. She did not recall the last time she _rolled her eyes_ at someone.

Hinata sighed, her stomach grumbled out again. She did not want to open another cupboard in fear of what it contained. She then remembered the small garden in the front of the cottage.

"S-Sasuke?"

Sasuke locked his eyes to hers, giving her a silent motion to continue.

Hinata shuffled and looked away from Sasuke, "C-Could I go o-outside to the g-garden? I-I could gather some v-veggies."

Sasuke stood up from the table, "Let's go."

Hinata smiled and followed him outside. Hinata walked towards the garden. When she managed to reach the garden, she frowned. She did not have enough lighting to see what crops there were and which ones would be good to pick.

Without hesitation, Sasuke raised his hand and created a ball of fire on his palm. Hinata looked at him in surprise and awe. _That is amazing!_ Hinata reached out to touch it, but Sasuke moved it away. A scowl on his face, "Are you stupid? This is fire. It will burn you." Hinata blushed and looked away from Sasuke. She frowned at his lecture. He made her feel like a child. She crossed her arms in front of her.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. With his other hand he slightly pushed her shoulder. "Are you going to pick vegetables or not? I don't like wasting my time."

Hinata huffed again at Sasuke's parental attitude. She still refused to look at him. "I am not a child." She mumbled out.

Sasuke smirked at her little attitude. He moved behind her, and he wrapped his free arm around her waist. He let his head fall to her neck, "Believe me, I know you aren't a child." He placed a small kiss on her neck.

Hinata eeped and softly pushed his face away from her. She untangled his arm from her waist and she kneeled to look at the garden. She still refused to look at him, but Sasuke bet his life that she was blushing. Without any more distractions, she picked a mix of potatoes, carrots, cabbages, and tomatoes.

Hinata stood up with her armful of veggies and walked back to the cottage with Sasuke trailing behind her. He let the fire in his hand die out as they walked back.

Before entering the cottage, Hinata stopped. Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her. She turned around to face him, an adorable blush and pout on her face. _Damn, why is she so kissable?_

"I-I'm sorry for b-behaving l-like that Sasuke-kun. It has been only recently that I have been experiencing new emotions. I-I d-don't remember being s-stubborn before." She gently told him.

Sasuke smirked and he walked towards her. He let one of his hands caress her cheek. He cupped her cheek and pulled her face towards his. He gave her a small kiss. Hinata blushed and kissed him back. He separated his lips from hers and stepped back. Hinata's eyes fluttered open and with a blushing face she turned back around to open the cottage door. _That was the best way to resolve a dispute._ She thought as she walked into the cottage.

Hinata quickly went to look over Gaara, he was still sleeping. After making sure he was alive and well, she moved to the kitchen to get started on a warm vegetable stew. She managed to find some herbs on a shelf. She cut the vegetables with the help of her chakra. She appreciated that the small cottage had indoor plumbing and there was running water. She loaded a cauldron with water and placed it over the fire that Sasuke lit up for her. Sasuke told her that he was going to shower before leaving her alone in the kitchen. Hinata placed all her veggies in the cauldron and added the appropriate seasonings to make the soup edible and delicious. After preparing the soup, she decided to at least clean some parts of the kitchen. It will save her time and effort for tomorrow.

The smell of the soup was warming up the home and Hinata could not wait to eat. Her stomach was begging for nourishment. She had managed to clean the floor and some cabinets before the stew started boiling. She went over to the soup and carefully tasted it. She hummed happily to herself. The vegetable soup was delicious. She wanted nothing more than to eat, but she was a guest in this house. She decided to wait for Sasuke. After a couple of minutes of waiting, she decided to go call him. She could not wait for him and hopefully, he would understand. She followed the same path that Sasuke used when he left to go shower. Down a short hallway, was a door. She assumed that was where Sasuke was. She walked over to the door and proceeded to knock on the door. Her hand was suspended in a knocking position when the door opened.

Hinata was met with a freshly showered Sasuke in a plain gray shirt and black pants. Hinata gulped as she looked at Sasuke. _Why does he have to be so handsome?_ Hinata felt her cheeks redden and she felt the urge to touch him with her raised hand. As the seconds ticked by, she had an internal battle with herself. She _really_ wanted to touch him. _But, how can I? T-That is too forward! B-but he did say that I was only allowed to touch him…_ Hinata softly let her hand fall onto Sasuke's chest. His black eyes bore into her pearly white-lavender ones with such intensity. Hinata was getting herself lost in his gaze. It was like getting sucked into a dark hole and only him and her were there. _He has such a muscular torso._ Hinata mentally swooned. Hinata then softly circled his chest. Sasuke clenched his fist. Her touch was maddening. He was on the verge to drag her into his room, but then a loud grumble disrupted the atmosphere. He gave her a confused look, "Have you still not eaten?"

Hinata withdrew her hand and held her stomach and shook her head, "N-Not yet, I-I was waiting for y-you." Sasuke smirked at her cute behavior and hospitality. He jerked his head forward, "Let's go." Hinata shyly smiled. She turned away and started walking back to the kitchen. Sasuke was walking behind since the hallway was too narrow for them to walk side by side. He did not mind, from his position he was able to see her backside and the way she swayed. He clenched his fist. _She probably doesn't even do this on purpose._ Sasuke ran a shaky hand through his damp hair. _She is going to drive me insane._ Sasuke then once again saw her hips sway, _I was always crazy anyway._

Sasuke could smell the soup as they neared the kitchen. His stomach was also growling, and he just took notice that he hadn't eaten anything all day. When they entered the kitchen, he went to the cupboard to gather some bowls, spoons, and cups. Hinata went to check the soup. Sasuke slid the bowls to her and Hinata gave him a smile at his gesture. It made Sasuke's heart flutter to see such a sincere and sweet smile. Hinata carefully filled the bowls with the soup. Sasuke poured water into the cups and he took them to the table. He then sat on the table waiting for Hinata to gather the food. In only a few moments, Hinata placed two steaming bowls on the table and she sat in front of Sasuke. They both ate in a comfortable silence.

Sasuke felt pleased to have a warm meal after a long day. Hinata smiled as she ate, she felt relieved as she ate to appease her hunger. After some time, Sasuke moved to get more soup while Hinata was still on her first bowl. After their dinner, Hinata managed to eat two bowls while Sasuke ate 4. "I will go hunting tomorrow to gather some meat for the stew." Sasuke told her.

Hinata smiled, "I would like that. We could have a more filling lunch and dinner. T-Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke picked up the plates from the table and proceeded to wash them. "S-Sasuke-kun, you do not need to do that. I-I can do it." Hinata told him as she rushed to the sink to take over.

Sasuke gently pushed her to the side, "I'll do it. You cooked." Hinata did not listen and continued to struggle to reach the plates. Sasuke smirked, she was pressing herself into his back and he was able to feel her curves. Sasuke quickly finished and turned around to face his beautiful guest. Hinata quickly stopped her struggle as soon as Sasuke turned around. She felt herself being picked up and she yelped in surprise. Sasuke placed her on the counter. His body was in between her legs and his arms were on each side of her. Hinata blushed at the intimate position they were in. Sasuke looked up at her and connected his eyes to hers. Hinata shyly wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her. His head was resting on her chest and she lowered her head to kiss him to stop herself from thinking of their position. Hinata moaned as Sasuke pulled her towards him, his hands on her hips. Hinata wrapped her legs tightly around Sasuke as their make-out intensified. She could feel his hands trace upwards and Hinata kissed him harder. She softly nibbled his lips as his warmth surrounded her.

Suddenly, the warmth disappeared and so did his lips. She felt the sandy feeling on her skin. She opened her eyes to see that she was in a sand arm again. Gaara was standing in front of her. Hinata smiled happily to see that her friend was fine. Her smile quickly faltered when she noticed the intense atmosphere.

Sasuke and Gaara both looked calm, but she could sense the hostility underneath the eerily calm silence. Hinata treaded carefully to not start a war in the kitchen. "G-Gaara-kun, you may release me. Sasuke-kun will not hurt me. He has been very kind to us." Gaara gave her a quick glance, but the sand arm still held her in a tight hold. Gaara glared at Sasuke, "A little _too kind_." He said. Sasuke glared back, "What can I say? I am just that _nice_ of a person." Hinata struggled against the sand arm, "P-Please Gaara-kun, let me go. I-I don't want you two to fight. P-Please." Hinata begged to Gaara. Gaara looked back at her and sighed. He let her go. As soon as she was let go, she rushed to him. She wanted to hug him, but she did not want to anger Sasuke. "Gaara-kun, you had me so w-worried. I-I thought you were h-hurt. S-Sasuke-kun helped me bring you here so that you could get some rest. I made dinner if you would like some. Hopefully, you will feel better after a warm meal. Let me take you back to the sofa so that you may rest, and I will bring you your soup." Hinata gently laid a hand on Gaara's arm and led him to the sofa before rushing back to the kitchen. As Hinata was pouring some soup in the bowl, she felt Sasuke pull her back and turned her around. "Hinata, did I not tell you not to touch other men? It displeases me." Sasuke growled out.

Hinata swallowed thickly, "B-But S-Sasuke-kun the way I-I t-touch y-you is different than the way I-I t-touch G-Gaara-kun." Sasuke smirked, "And how do you touch me?" He murmured softly. Hinata blushed, "W-Well, when I t-touch you I-I f-feel tingles and h-heat." Hinata stuttered out. Sasuke smiled a bit and hummed in pleasure. Sasuke touched a soft curl of her silky hair, his heart beat increased. "Um, Sasuke-kun I-I need to bring this soup to Gaara-kun." Sasuke kissed her lips again. He hated hearing another man's name leave her soft lips. He quickly pulled back and let her continue. Hinata was dazed and blushed at Sasuke's kisses. She quickly shuffled out of the kitchen towards her friend.

Hinata gently placed the soup on the table in front of Gaara. "Gaara-kun, here is your soup. It is very delicious. I made it myself." She smiled as she told him. Gaara eyed her suspiciously, "Why do you let him kiss you?" Hinata blushed at Gaara's question. "I-I d-don't know. I-It feels n-natural to kiss him." Hinata felt her blush deepen as she looked down on her lap. A small smile on her lips, "I-It feels g-good to kiss Sasuke-kun." Gaara continued to look at her, "Have you already forgotten about Na-…" Hinata snapped her head up to look at Gaara and she quickly shook her head, "Stop! Don't! He is just a painful memory." Hinata covered her face with her hands, "Gaara-kun, I wish I could explain to you what I feel, but this is new to me. I feel _different_. Ever since I met Sasuke-kun, I have been acting strangely. H-He brings out a new me. I have always been the sweet and kind girl; but now there is another side that I never knew existed. I can feel _angry, annoyed, and strong_." She whispered out the last the three words. She was afraid of these new changes. Gaara gave her a curious look, "Did _he_ not make you feel that way?" Hinata shook her head softly, "No. With _him_ , I felt like I was floating in the air. Everything was a sunny day. He was my first love and it was magical." Hinata sighed, "The fairy-tail ended, but now I am here discovering new things I would have never had the chance to."

Gaara picked up the soup from the table and took a quick bite. He savored the taste before continuing the conversation. "And this new guy changed you in less than a day?" Hinata blushed at the mention of Sasuke, "I-I don't think so. _You-know-who_ ignored me and abandoned me. I did not let myself feel anger or resentment because I was just a choice. I was _his_ choice. When he didn't choose me, I hid my anger from myself and wallowed in pity and sadness. But with Sasuke-kun, we both get to choose each other. I feel this newfound freedom of being able to express myself. I am not just a proper princess, but a person that can think and feel. Sasuke-kun just helped push me to this realization." Hinata blushed at the sudden proclamation she made. She hoped that Sasuke was not hearing her.

Gaara was able to relate to her new-found freedom. He felt the same when he first met her. When she proposed that they be friends, he knew that he was no longer just a _thing_ , but a _person_. However, this did not mean that he had to like this new guy.

"I still don't like him." Gaara told her.

Hinata giggled, "He is a good person, Gaara-kun."

"What happens to our journey back to your homeland?" Gaara asked her, ignoring her previous statement about Sasuke.

Hinata paused in thought, _I never thought about that. What do I do? I could stay here with Sasuke-kun, but would he like that?_ Hinata frowned at the thought of not being able to kiss Sasuke anymore. _We already kissed, does this mean that he is courting me? If so, then what does that mean? Will he marry me?_ Hinata blushed at the thought of marrying Sasuke. _He will make a handsome husband._ Hinata then frowned again, _But what about my homeland? I am the Princess of the Land of Waves. I cannot abandon my people. Would Sasuke still want me if he knew I was princess?_

Hinata sighed sadly, "I don't know Gaara-kun. My life always needs to get complicated." Hinata giggled out. Gaara gave her a small smile of encouragement. He had finished eating his bowl of soup. "Let me get you another bowl." Hinata picked up the bowl and walked to the kitchen, "Thank you." She heard Gaara tell her. As she entered the kitchen, she saw Sasuke in the same spot that she left him in. She gave him a curious glance; _Did he hear anything?_

"Where is your homeland?" He asked her as she walked to the cauldron to pour more soup into the bowl. Hinata smiled a bit, he was listening to her. "The Land of Waves. I am one of their princesses'." Sasuke's eyes widened a bit, _A princess? Interesting._ "As a fellow commoner, I could not let you travel the roads to the Land of Waves during winter, Princess." Sasuke told her as he pulled one of her hands to kiss. Hinata blushed at Sasuke's playfulness. She quickly retracted her hand back, "You do not need to worry yourself over me Sasuke-kun." Sasuke snort, "Hinata, I don't care that you are a princess or not. I wouldn't let you travel during this winter season." Hinata gave him a curious look, "Why do you do this for me?" Sasuke cupped her chin and pulled her into a kiss. Hinata pushed more into the kiss, she loved the tingles that traveled up her spine when they kissed. Sasuke pulled away, his breathing more haggard than usual. "I think you know why." He told her with a raspy voice. Hinata hummed in pleasure. She could not deny that there were some strong feelings between them. Hinata moved back and walked back to Gaara.

She gave him his bowl, "Thank you, Hinata." Hinata smiled, "You're welcome." Hinata sat on the table in front of Gaara. "I talked to Sasuke, and he let us stay with him until the winter season ends. Then you and I can continue to the Land of Waves, that is if you do not mind staying."

Gaara gave her a small smile, "I will stay as long as you want me to stay." Hinata smiled brightly at her friend and began to move to hug him, but she remembered Sasuke's rule of touching. But the hug that she would give Gaara would be different than a hug she would give Sasuke. Hinata concluded that she was in the clear and proceeded to hug Gaara. "You are a true friend Gaara, thank you." Gaara leaned gently into her hug. A small growl broke the hug, Hinata blushed while Gaara glared at the intruder.

"Gaara-kun do you want any more soup?" She asked her friend.

Gaara took his eyes from Sasuke and looked back at Hinata, he gently shook his head. "No thank you, I will just rest now. I am still exhausted from earlier." Hinata smiled gently to her friend, "Of course, let me go take the dishes to the kitchen." Hinata shuffled to the kitchen making sure not to pay attention to the slightly angered man. As soon as she finished the dishes she was pulled into Sasuke's arms, "Princess, you love to test my patience." Sasuke growled out. Hinata blushed, her hands rested on Sasuke's chest and she gently traced small shapes. "S-Sasuke-kun, I-I already told you. I-I touch you differently." Hinata then reach up and brushed her lips on his, "Don't be mad, please." She whispered. Sasuke tightened his hold on her and pressed their lips together. Hinata pulled away, a beautiful and dazed look on her face. "S-Sasuke, d-do you have any extra blankets for G-Gaara and I?" She asked breathlessly. He pressed his lips gently on hers. "I may have a couple…" He pecked her lips again before separating himself from her. He moved away and walked through the doorway leading to his room. Hinata decided to wait with Gaara.

She sat at the table again, but this time she was watching Gaara sleep. A soft lump was dumped on her lap, she took the blanket and draped it over Gaara. She softly brushed his hair away from his face and stepped back to admire her bed-tucking skills. It then occurred to her. _Where will I sleep?_

Sasuke moved behind Hinata and wrapped his arms around her, "Now that the baby is asleep, how about you and I go to bed?" He whispered into her ear. Hinata shivered at the husky tone he was using. She wanted to melt into his arms. "B-But S-Sasuke-kun we can't do that." She told him. A strong blush on her face as she felt Sasuke kiss her neck softly. "I don't bite." He whispered. He then nipped her earlobe, Hinata gasped. "Unless you want me to." Hinata felt her mind seize from thinking, all she could think about was him. Her senses were on a Sasuke override. "S-Sasuke-kun, I-I can't sleep with a-another m-male unless I-I'm married." Sasuke hummed as he kissed behind her ear, "Then marry me Hinata."

Hinata gasped and she pulled out of Sasuke's hold. "Sasuke-kun, you are not serious." She told him, a hint of pain in her voice. She could not believe that Sasuke would play with her like that.

Sasuke frowned at her reaction, he sighed anxiously as he combed his hair. He was trying to clear his mind from the beauty in front him. He wanted to hit himself for falling for his lustful desires. He was new to these emotions and they were taking over his inhibitions. She was a drug that he could not get enough of. He didn't really want to marry her since they just met, but even then, he could not deny that he would not mind having her as his wife. He felt his heart painfully throb to a time where he also fell in love by a single glance. The little girl with dark-blue hair and white eyes like the moon. He fell in love with her the moment they saw each other, and they never talked before. Sasuke mentally frowned, _Do I just fall in love easily?_ Sasuke quickly dismissed the idea, he had many women who threw themselves at him, but no woman could ever capture his attention. Sasuke looked at Hinata, maybe he just had a thing for dark-haired and white-eyed women.

"I-I think I will just sleep here with Gaara-kun." She said.

Sasuke immediately frowned, burning jealousy entering his mind. "No. Take my bed. I will sleep out here."

Sasuke quickly went to his room to gather a pillow and a blanket. He then laid them out before the fireplace in front of the couch. He lit the fireplace, making the room feel warmer. "My room is ready for you." He told her as he settled down on the floor.

Hinata eyed him curiously, "Sasuke-kun, I do not want you to forfeit your bed for me. Gaara-kun and I will leave tomo-…" "Forget about it, Hinata. I don't mind sleeping here." Hinata gave him a soft smile, she walked towards him and kneeled beside him. She placed a soft kiss on his lips and gave him a hug. "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke felt his heart soar at her words. Her body was warm and inviting, and he felt a twinge of regret for not confirming to marry her.

"Goodnight, Sasuke-kun."

"Goodnight, Hinata-hime."


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Welcome back! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: Don't own anything.

Rated: M

Summary: An AU Continuation of Grim Peasant's story The Queen of Hearts. Disclaimer, this is vastly different than the original story. Not NaruHina.

Chapter 25

Naruto knew it was too soon to come back to the hell hole of his life. As he entered the palace, he felt the constant ache in his heart grow. On his impromptu mission, he was able to distract himself from the love troubles that plagued him. But as he was walking through the palace hallways to his room, he had no distractions. Naruto ran a hand through his hair nervously. _Why can't life be easy?_ His eyes followed the corridor to where the Queen's turf was. Somewhere in there, Hinata was there. He wanted to go to her, but he couldn't. Karin was his true love, but why didn't it feel like it? He could clearly remember their first kiss and their first date. He could remember his firm strong proclamations of love for her. But where did it all go? Was it not true love? He swore it was. Yet here he was, wishing for Hinata when he was supposed to be in love with someone else. _I am a mess._ Naruto continued to his room.

He opened his room sluggishly, he just needed to sleep for a bit. _Maybe after some well-deserved sleep I will be able to figure out what to do with my life._ Naruto pulled off his work clothes and got into his sleepwear. He laid on his back on his bed. He already knew that sleep would not come to him easily. He moved his body to a more comfortable position. He felt a slight pinch on his backside. _What the hell was that?_ Naruto reached around and encountered a pair of rings. Naruto felt his breath leave his body and his heart felt as if it dropped into his stomach. He quickly raised the rings to his face to confirm what he thought they were. _It's Hinata's rings that I gave her for the wedding._ Naruto felt his throat clog up and his eyes were stinging with tears. _Damn it!_ Naruto no longer had the strength to combat his feelings. He cried loudly and haggardly. He did not care if anyone heard him. He needed to cry. He had abandoned Hinata after he told her that he loved her. _I am an idiot, Hinata. Please forgive me._ Naruto looked down at the purple rings. He could almost imagine her delicate hand in his grasp as they strolled the gardens or the kingdom. The purple gems would reflect the sunlight and he would smile knowing that she was his wife. Then he imagined her hands wrapped around a bundle of life. The purple gems twinkling as the sun shone on her and their son or daughter. He wanted it, but then he didn't. He already made a promise to another that she will be the one he will marry.

Naruto laid on his bed and closed his eyes to fall asleep. The rings clutched tightly in his hand.

* * *

"Gaara-kun, are you sure that you must leave so soon?" Hinata asked worriedly. Gaara had received a notice from his homeland that his father had passed away and he was requested to return home. Gaara did not want to leave, but he had no choice. Gaara grabbed her hand and gave it a slight squeeze, "I will be back at the end of winter, Hinata-sama." Hinata smiled sadly and gave Gaara a quick hug, "Be safe in your travels. I will pray for your safety every day." Hinata told him. She separated herself from Gaara and fixed his red scarf on his neck. "Do not forget about me, Gaara-kun." Gaara gently smiled, "I wouldn't dream of it, Princess."

Gaara let go of Hinata's hand and looked over to where Sasuke stood. "Protect her." Gaara told him. Sasuke gave a quick nod. Gaara took one last look at Hinata and nodded his goodbye. "Bye, Gaara-kun." She whispered to him. Gaara walked towards the direction of the nearest town. Hinata stood in the same spot until she no longer saw her friend. She sighed sadly, she was going to miss him immensely. They have become more of a family than friends. Sasuke walked to stand next to her. He was providing her his silent support. "Do you want to learn how to hunt?" Sasuke asked her. Hinata whipped her head towards him, "Y-You want to t-teach me?" Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Is that a yes?" Hinata nodded.

It had been a couple of hours of them walking through the woods. Her feet were starting to ache, she had never pushed herself this hard before. Sasuke never said anything to her either. He didn't tell her to be careful or to take it easy. It was a welcoming feeling to her. All her life, she was shielded and guarded, but Sasuke treated her differently. He expected her to be strong and for her to hold her own weight. _I will not disappoint you, Sasuke._

For the first hour, Sasuke taught her how to silence her footsteps with and without chakra. She was able to mask her sounds with chakra successfully, but the only downfall was that she did not have enough chakra to maintain it for long periods. Hiding her sounds without chakra required more attention. She had to constantly look at the ground for any leaves or twigs, and this reduced her ability to watch out for animals. Sasuke had already managed to kill three rabbits, but there was still sunlight for them to hunt.

She was focused on the fallen leaves on the ground and making sure she did not step on them, that she didn't notice that Sasuke stopped until she bumped into his back. Sasuke gave her an eye roll and Hinata puffed out her cheeks in embarrassment. Sasuke raised a finger to his mouth to tell her to be silent. Hinata put herself on guard and strained her ears to listen to whatever caused Sasuke to be cautious.

One moment she was pressed behind Sasuke, and then he disappeared. She was amazed at how fast he could move. She mentally reminded herself to ask Sasuke if he could teach her how to move like that.

Being left alone, sent a surge of panic through her. She was not completely defenseless, but she was not strong either. Hinata turned her head to at least catch a glimpse of Sasuke. Either he was too fast, or he was not in the near vicinity. Hinata wished that she could somehow see long distances. Sasuke told her that using chakra required finesse and extreme control. Manipulating chakra also required long hours of practice. As she waited for his return, Hinata fiddled with the thought of chakra being used for _seeing_ long distances. Sasuke said the reason why he moved so quickly was because of his manipulation of chakra and his extreme exercise routine. She wondered if she would able to use chakra on her eyes so that she could see better.

Hinata felt the bit of chakra she had left, and she slowly moved it to her eyeballs. For a moment, the world suddenly turned foggy white, gray, and black. Then immediately she felt herself grow extremely weak. She fell to her knees and fell forward. She felt her eyes close and the world turn dark. The last thing she felt was the cold wet snow on her face.

* * *

She woke up to the sound of fire softly crackling. She slowly opened her eyes and she felt her eyes sting from the brightness of Sasuke's living room. Hinata moaned in pain and shut her eyes again. _What happened?_ All she remembered was going hunting with Sasuke and then he suddenly left her. She also remembered trying to practice with chakra by herself. Hinata gasped, she could faintly remember seeing the world change. There was white, gray, and black. _Did that have something to do with chakra going to my eyes? Should I tell Sasuke-kun?_ Hinata smiled softly, _I could impress him once I figure out how to use this new ability. He would be so proud of me._ Hinata giggled at the feeling of seeing Sasuke giving her a proud look. It made her feel incredibly special.

"You're awake."

Hinata slowly opened her eyes to look at Sasuke. She gulped, he looked very angry.

"I leave you for a moment and you pass out?" He bit out.

Hinata shifted her eyes away from him, guiltily looking at the floor.

Sasuke moved to her in two strides and forced her to lock her eyes with his. "Care to explain why you passed out?" Hinata pouted at Sasuke, "I-I was j-just t-tired S-Sasuke-kun. I-I'm s-sorry, p-please don't be mad at me!" Hinata lunged herself to Sasuke. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Sasuke pulled her tighter to him, he buried his head in her neck. "Stupid girl." He mumbled. He placed a kiss on her neck. Hinata blushed and planted a kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke embraced her with everything he had. He could still feel the utter despair when he saw her laying down unconscious in the snow. For the first time in a long time, he felt utter terror. He could feel his heart physically break. When he rushed to her side and felt her pulse, he cried in relief.

When he felt her soft lips press onto his skin, he sighed. He knew that he would not be able to go on without her. He could not imagine a day without her. Once he had her, he would not let her go. He slowly pulled away so that he could press his lips on hers. He wanted to make her feel the desperation and devastation that she put him through.

Hinata felt Sasuke's raw feelings seep into the kiss. The ferocity and strength communicated clearly to her. She pressed into the kiss to communicate her forgiveness. He pulled her off the sofa and onto his lap. Their kiss deepened, and Hinata pressed herself further into him. They were both lost in their own world until a sudden knock made them separate. They were both breathing heavily. Sasuke rested his forehead on hers to give him a moment to regain his senses. The loud knocking once again interrupted their moment and Sasuke growled in irritation. Whoever was knocking was going to pay dearly for bothering him. Hinata stood up from his lap and she lowered her hand to help him. He smirked and grabbed her hand, successfully pulling her back onto his lap and kissing her again. She was struggling to deny his kiss, but she quickly gave up and returned the kiss with gusto.

The knocking became louder and more rapid. Sasuke was going to ignore it, but Hinata quickly pulled away and stood up. She scampered to the kitchen doorway, "I will cook dinner. Answer the door, Sasuke-kun." Hinata then rushed into the kitchen.

Sasuke wanted to follow her, but the knocking continued. Sasuke felt his sharingan wanting to activate in irritation. He calmed himself by brushing a hand through his hair. He quickly stood up and went to the door.

He was about to yell at the person, but he stopped short. It was his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke raised his eyebrow, what did his brother want?

"Sasuke, it has been a long time. Mind if I come in?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked to the living room. He picked up the blanket that Hinata used and folded it. "What brings you here, Itachi?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi walked into the cottage and closed the door. "It is not every day their little brother turns 20." Sasuke was about to answer, but a small gasp was heard.

"Sasuke-kun it is your birthday today?" Hinata asked in wonder from the kitchen doorway.

Itachi chuckled, "Little brother, why did you not tell me you had a beautiful guest in your home?" Itachi moved to Hinata and he held her hand for him to kiss. "Itachi, Sasuke's older brother. And you dear?" Hinata blushed at Itachi's forwardness and she slowly took her hand back, "Hinata." Itachi smiled, "Are you and my brother sleep-…" Itachi began to ask Hinata, "Shut up, Itachi." Sasuke growled out. Hinata blushed at the implication of Itachi's question. "I-I will go b-back to f-finish c-cooking." She nervously said. Itachi flirtatiously smiled, "Of course." Hinata reddened and scampered away back to the kitchen.

Itachi whistled softly, "Where did you find her?" Sasuke growled. Itachi chuckled, "I am just teasing brother. I am happy that you found someone." Sasuke continued to glare at his brother.

"Here, I have something for you." Itachi handed him a long package. Sasuke opened it and his eyes widened. He picked up the item. It was a sheathed sword. Sasuke unsheathed it and it revealed a blueish-black sword. Sasuke smiled a bit, the sword was a beauty. "I see Sasuke smiling. Did big brother do a good job?" Itachi teased. Sasuke nodded, "Yes, thank you Itachi." Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead, "Happy birthday, Sasuke." Sasuke softly glared at his brother and rubbed his forehead. "Thanks." He mumbled out.

"Anyway, I must go. I have other duties to take care of before meeting our cousin. Take care of yourself and your little lady." Itachi moved to the door.

"A-Are you not staying Itachi-san?" Hinata asked as she walked out of the kitchen.

Itachi gave her another flirtatious smile, "Sorry dear lady, but I have other compromises to get to. I thank you for gracing a man like myself with such a beauty as yourself. Goodbye, Hinata-san."

Hinata blushed at Itachi's words, "Bye Itachi-san."

Itachi turned back to open the door and walked out. "Bye Sasuke." He spoke as he closed the door.

Sasuke continued to look at the sword his brother gave him, he felt happy that his brother hadn't forgotten about him. _How long has it been since I last saw him?_

Hinata smiled at seeing Sasuke happy, "Sasuke-kun, dinner is ready." Sasuke looked up at her and nodded. He placed his new sword on the living room table and followed Hinata into the kitchen.

She had already gathered three plates with food. The cooked rabbits were smothered in a red herb sauce, and grilled tomatoes were placed over the rabbit. Sasuke could not wait to dig into the meal.

"H-Happy B-Birthday, Sasuke-san. I included many tomatoes for this dish because you told me you liked them. I-I know it isn't much, but I would love to treat you to something more special if we ever go into town." Hinata softly placed her hand over his.

"Hn." Sasuke replied. He locked his eyes with hers. He tried to express his gratitude. Hinata blushed and smiled brightly, "You are welcome, Sasuke-kun." They both ate in a comfortable silence. Sasuke also ate Itachi's dish. As Hinata was washing dishes, Sasuke wrapped his arms around her from behind. He rested his head on hers and he smelled her lavender scent. He could be like this forever. He slowly moved his head to her neck, "What about dessert?" Sasuke asked. Hinata stiffened. She mentally slapped herself. _How could I forget about dessert?_ Hinata looked nervously around, there were no ingredients to make a simple dessert. "I-I'm s-sorry Sasuke-kun I did not make any. If we go to town tomorrow, I will get the correct ingredients and make you an amazing dessert." She told him as she turned around to see him. He smirked down at her, "I hate sweet things." Hinata blinked and frowned a bit. _What dessert isn't sweet?_ "Sasuke-kun, I don't know any dessert that is not sweet." Sasuke chuckled, and he kissed her neck softly. Hinata blushed as the intimacy grew. "I only like one sweet dessert." Sasuke whispered into her ear. He pressed another kiss on her neck, and Hinata whimpered out. Sasuke always knew how to make her grow weak with his kisses. "W-What is it?" Hinata asked throatily as Sasuke kissed her neck some more. Sasuke moved his mouth to her ear, "You."

He then nibbled on her earlobe. Hinata gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck and Sasuke held her tighter. He moved his face to kiss her lips. He hummed happily knowing there would be no distractions this time around. He picked up Hinata and she quickly wrapped her legs around him. He led them back to the living room and he sat down on the sofa.

Her body pressed perfectly against him. He separated his lips from hers and attacked her neck with kisses. He sucked a spot on her neck in need to mark her as his. Hinata mewled at his actions and she pressed herself into his hips. Her hands combed through his hair creating a wonderful sensation on his scalp. He let go of her neck and he marveled at the bright red mark on her porcelain white skin. He laid his head on her chest. He could hear her fast heart beat and it matched his. He felt Hinata shift in his lap and he groaned as she rubbed herself perfectly on his crotch. He felt her hands cup his face and he locked his eyes with hers. She gave him a small peck on the lips. She then turned his face to one direction to expose his neck. Hinata began to leave small kisses all around his neck. His hands tightened on her hips, the feeling of her lips on his skin felt amazing. He then felt her suckle his neck in one spot. He clenched his teeth from moaning out. After what felt like an eternity, she stopped. The smile that she gave him left him speechless. He forcefully pressed his lips against her. He put all the passion he felt into the kiss and Hinata responded with equal vigor. They separated for the need to breathe.

He rested his forehead on hers and he closed his eyes; he was in a such a happy daze and he did not want to move and ruin it. Their breaths intermingled in a beautiful dance. He cracked his eyes open and saw how blissful Hinata looked. Her face red and her lips swollen. He wanted nothing less than to take her to his room and have her entirely. But he knew that she was a princess and she must give herself to her husband. He was certain that he was going to be that man, but he needed to wait for her hand. She was only 17 and he needed to wait one more year for her. He kissed her lips one more time, before he unwrapped his arms from around her. "Thank you Hinata." He whispered out to her.

Hinata smiled at Sasuke, "You are welcome." She kissed his lips again and she unwrapped herself from him. She fell into the seat next to him and giggled. She felt so giddy. She never believed that kisses could be this intoxicating. Sasuke looked at her and he smiled softly. _Oh yes, she will be my wife_. After getting her giggling under control, she looked up to Sasuke, "Sasuke-kun, would it be okay if I used your bathroom to bathe?" Sasuke nodded. He felt himself grow stiff at the thought of her beautiful naked self in his shower. He leaned back into the sofa and closed his eyes to get rid of the thoughts.

Hinata jumped up and rummaged through her luggage that was in the corner of the living room and picked out her nightwear. She rushed to the bathroom.

* * *

She sighed contently at being clean as she walked out of the shower. She had her hair wrapped in a white fluffy towel. As she walked into Sasuke's room she saw Sasuke already laying in his bed. Hinata gulped, he looked so breathtaking. He looked so relaxed and peaceful as he slept on his bed. She quietly moved forward to him, she could make out the outline of his muscles through his shirt and she felt the urge to touch them. Hinata then looked at Sasuke's face. His hair was slightly covering him, so she reached over to move his hair. When her fingertips traced his skin, his hand was immediately on hers and he pulled. Hinata fell into Sasuke's sleeping form. She squeaked at the sudden movement. His arms were wrapped securely around her. Hinata tried to move out of his grasp, but Sasuke was not yielding. Hinata's face was red as she tried to pull away. "S-Sasuke-kun…" She urgently whispered out to him. He pulled her tighter to him, "Sleep." Hinata blushed. _How could he expect me to sleep like this?_ Hinata huffed and knew there was no chance to escape. She felt around for the blanket and she pulled it over them. She cuddled into Sasuke, his electrifying and smoky smell enveloping her.

Sasuke woke up feeling very refreshed. The scent of lavender almost made him fall asleep again, but he knew that he could not stay. He opened his eyes slowly, he looked down to see Hinata holding him by the waist. Her head was securely tucked into his shoulder; and her warm breath tickled his neck. He squeezed her a bit and pulled her into a lazy one arm hug. He kissed the top of her head. He then carefully unwrapped her from his body and stretched as he stood from the bed. He felt that a morning shower would help awaken him.

He took a quick shower, and as he stepped into his room he saw that Hinata was still fast asleep. She was now holding and cuddling into his pillow. He smirked, she liked him. He changed his sleepwear into his day clothing; and then went to the kitchen to get an early breakfast before he went to go train. It was still early morning and the sun was barely illuminating the sky. He finished his food and went to pick up his birthday present. He secured his sword across his back and proceeded to leave. He was not going to be gone for long, so he did not feel the need to wake Hinata to inform her of his whereabouts.

He went around the back of the cottage and sat down to start to meditate. He needed to refocus his chakra back to the center of his body. He let his chakra envelop all his senses. He was able to hear the wild critters of the forest from a mile away, and he felt the energy of the woods surround him. Every living thing within a 5-mile radius was able to be felt by him. After some time of meditation, he got up and started to do some memorized battle stances in quick succession. After his battle stance practice, he summoned a shadow clone to practice some taijutsu. He felt his adrenaline spike as he fought his other self. They were both evenly matched as expected and this pushed him to become stronger. He was about to land the "killing" blow, but he stopped when he sensed a strong chakra presence rushing towards his location. Sasuke stood up straight and dismissed his shadow clone as he waited for the person to arrive. He turned his head to where the chakra mass was coming from, _5…4…3…2…1._

A gray-haired man with a mask covering half his face came out of the forest. Sasuke raised one of his eyebrows as he looked at the man. The man was usually very easy going, but Sasuke could immediately sense that the man was on edge.

"Naruto has lost control." The man told him.

"Tch." Sasuke picked up his sword from the floor and readjusted it on his back. Then he ran to the direction of where the man came from. The man quickly followed behind.

* * *

Hinata awoke to the morning sun and she felt very comfortable. Sasuke's scent invaded her senses and she felt herself snooze off. After a couple of minutes of the same routine of waking up and snoozing, she finally stood up. She blushed, she could not believe that she slept in the same bed as Sasuke. To her slight disappointment, Sasuke was not there when she awoke. Hinata yawned and fell back into the bed. His scent lulling her back to sleep. She closed her eyes for a bit and hugged Sasuke's pillow. Hinata's tummy then gurgled, demanding her attention. Hinata giggled at herself. She stood up and started tidying up the room. Sasuke was not a dirty person, but he was a bit disorganized. She folded the bed sheets and his clothes that were piled on a desk. She slowly organized the room and brightened the room by opening the curtains. She quickly dusted the furniture in the room. After she finished the room, she decided that breakfast was in order. She quickly ate and then she continued to organize the kitchen. After finishing most of the cabinets, she started to worry. She wondered where Sasuke was. She sent a silent prayer for his safety and continued to clean. If she distracted herself then she would not worry.

* * *

Sasuke and the man traveled silently through the forest. Both too preoccupied with their thoughts to initiate any conversation. Sasuke could already sense the malicious Kyubi chakra. _Tch, what did the Dobe do now?_ "Why was I called? I thought Itachi was visiting Naruto." Sasuke asked the man beside him.

"Itachi was the one who set Naruto off." The man told Sasuke warily. Sasuke whipped his head to the man, "What the fuck happened, Kakashi?"

Kakashi let out a tired sigh, "I honestly have no idea."

"Where is Itachi?" Sasuke asked coldly.

"He is fine. Tsunade was able to get him out of Naruto's reach before things could get messy. At this moment, Itachi is passed out in the infirmary." Kakashi glanced over Sasuke, "He could never handle the demonic chakra as well as you could."

Sasuke nodded dismissively. The pit in his stomach disappeared when he learned that his brother was alive.

They both stopped running since they reached the palace walls.

"I will let you do what you do best. I will be evacuating the rest of the castle occupants. Everyone knows how it gets when you two battle each other." Kakashi told him. Kakashi jumped away and left Sasuke alone.

Sasuke scaled up the tall palace walls. The closer he got, the more he felt the demonic chakra. Sasuke smirked, he always loved a tough battle. Him and Naruto were rivals since birth and they both tried to outdo each other every chance they got. He felt his adrenaline spike the closer he got to where Naruto was located at. He landed inside the deserted palace and continued to run to where Naruto was located.

He ran towards the Queen's turf. As he reached the main hall, he decided to walk slowly towards the demonic chakra. He did not want to startle Naruto. He walked until he reached the red glowing mass of Naruto. Sasuke eyed him curiously, wondering why Naruto hadn't noticed that he was here.

Naruto stood in the middle of a room, completely still. Sasuke decided that he would be the one to initiate the confrontation.

"Dobe." Sasuke said.

Naruto quickly turned his head to look at him. His glowing white eyes boring into him.

"What happened?" Sasuke casually asked.

This question seemed to enrage Naruto. He howled loudly breaking the windows of the room. Sasuke frowned. This slow pace was not leading him anywhere. He decided to push Naruto a bit. He moved forward to Naruto and Naruto growled. Naruto's bubbling red chakra formed into a tail. Sasuke kept pushing forward. Another tail formed. Sasuke continued to move forward, and one more tail formed. Sasuke was just 10 spaces away when Naruto launched towards him. Sasuke's sharingan immediately turned on. He quickly maneuvered away from Naruto's launch; and Naruto impacted into the wall where Sasuke once stood in front of. A huge chunk of the wall went missing and Naruto whipped his head around to find Sasuke. Naruto quickly sprinted to Sasuke, trying to grasp Sasuke, but every time he missed. Naruto growled at this cat and mouse game they were playing.

Sasuke had no intention to harm the king, he just needed to find an opening.

"STOP RUNNING AWAY YOU COWARD!" Naruto howled at him as he lunged toward Sasuke.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, Naruto was so easily frazzled. Sasuke continued to evade Naruto's attacks. _There's the opening._ Sasuke pushed himself off the wall, and extended his arm for a punch, he hit Naruto in the throat and lunged him to the floor. Sasuke quickly activated his mangekyo and forced Naruto to look at him in the eyes. The demonic chakra was burning his skin, but he needed to get Naruto to look at him. Naruto roared and threw Sasuke into a wall.

Sasuke flew through two walls consecutively. Sasuke glared at the Dobe, he had forgotten how strong the idiot could be. Naruto roared loudly again and lunged at Sasuke while he was stuck in the wall. Sasuke grit his teeth at the feeling of him breaking into different parts of the palace structure. Sasuke kicked Naruto off him and sent the man flying to the other side of the hallway. Sasuke then quickly rushed to Naruto as he was airborne and kicked him upwards. Sasuke then quickly teleported above him and kicked him downward. He did not give Naruto any chance for recovery. Naruto flew through two stories of the palace. Sasuke quickly followed Naruto and landed forcefully on Naruto's stomach. Naruto choked out some blood. Sasuke grabbed Naruto's head and focused his eyes on Naruto's. Naruto seeing Sasuke's plan quickly punched Sasuke away. Sasuke flew down the hall and Naruto rushed towards Sasuke. Sasuke twisted his body just in time to miss another one of Naruto's punches. Sasuke then connected his foot to the back of Naruto's head. Naruto felt himself lurch forward, but before he was forced away he quickly grabbed Sasuke's ankle and pulled him. Naruto dragged Sasuke through the palace walls. Sasuke winced as his body ripped through cement walls as Naruto pulled him.

Sasuke then forcefully wrapped his legs around Naruto's throat. He then twisted his body and slammed Naruto onto the floor. Naruto still hadn't let go of him, so he landed on top of the Dobe. Sasuke was then met with a powerful punch into the jaw that sent him flying through a window and into the palace gardens. He felt himself skid on the water. He quickly maneuvered his body upright to stand on the water. Naruto was running at top speed on the water towards him. Sasuke didn't want to do it, but he was running out of stamina and he needed to end this. Quickly, he formed his signature move.

His susano was a bright violet and it quickly stopped the jinchuriki. Sasuke gasped and fell on one knee. He felt his eyes bleeding and blood was accumulating in his mouth. He commanded his susano to bring Naruto closer to him. Naruto roared in anger and this made it more difficult to keep Naruto in one place. His sharingan connected with Naruto's eyes. His mangekyo spinning rapidly as Naruto roared. Then in a blink, Naruto seized his struggling. The demonic red chakra going back into his unconscious body. Sasuke fell to both his knees at the immense use of chakra. He coughed up the blood in his mouth. His susano brought both him and Naruto onto the garden floor before disappearing. Sasuke gasped tiredly. _This took more energy than I thought._ Sasuke looked at the drifting white clouds in the sky, _I'm sorry Hinata. I don't think I will make it back home any time soon._ Sasuke thought before fading off into unconsciousness.

* * *

Hinata had finished cleaning the whole house and Sasuke still had not returned from wherever he went. Hinata did not want to worry, but she could not help it. She felt as if something was wrong. Hinata sighed sadly as she sent another silent prayer for Sasuke. Hinata decided that it was a perfect time to start cleaning up the front garden. She wandered outside and began to tend the small garden. She had gathered some more vegetables. Once the garden was free of weeds, she began to pull out the weeds from around the garden. This took her a longer time since the weeds were imbedded into the soil. The sun was slowly setting when she decided to stop her gardening. She walked inside the house and she realized that there was no fire.

She sighed in discontent at the foreboding atmosphere the darkness contained. Hinata decided that she would need to navigate the household in complete darkness. She stumbled her way into the kitchen. She gingerly washed the carrots since that would be her dinner for today since there was no fire to boil her vegetables.

She never knew how attached she became to Sasuke until now. She missed his silent support and strength. She missed the way he touched her and kissed her. She missed the way that he made her feel alive by zapping all her senses. She missed the warmth that he provided. Hinata thought about her small life with Sasuke as she munched on a carrot.

She loved every minute of her new life. It was drastically different than what she experienced with Naruto. Both Naruto and Sasuke made her feel loved and protected. However, only Sasuke made her feel powerful and worthy. The way he looked at her sent shivers down her spine. Naruto would also make her tremble with love and affection, but he did not encourage her to grow. He loved her because she was just a kind and sweet girl. Sasuke accepted her with all the emotional baggage she carried. Naruto gave her the fairytale, but Sasuke gave her the reality. Hinata yawned into her hand. She decided that she would quickly shower in the darkness and then go to bed. Hopefully, Sasuke arrived in the morning or in the middle of the night.

Hinata quickly showered with cold water. A mistake she would have remembered when she already knew that there was no fire. Hinata huddled into Sasuke's bed. His scent was still all over the sheets. She wrapped herself in a cocoon of Sasuke's blankets and fell asleep.

* * *

It was the stench of disinfectant that awoke him. Sasuke opened his eyes at the barren infirmary. He saw that the Dobe was in a bed next to his. He was still unconscious. Sasuke looked at the window and saw that it was bright outside. _How long have I been here?_

The door of the infirmary room opened. A battered looking Itachi strolled in. Itachi smiled at seeing his brother awake.

"How long have I been here?" Sasuke asked, his voice raspy and dry.

Itachi smiled gently and handed him a cup of water. "Four days."

Sasuke began to choke on the water, "F-Four days?!" Sasuke gasped out.

Itachi smirked, "Do not worry yourself, I have been looking after your lady."

Sasuke grasped the bed sheets, "How is she?"

Itachi shrugged his shoulders, "As you may expect, she was worried."

Sasuke nodded, "What did you tell her?"

"I just told her you were on a mission and you wouldn't be back for a couple of days." Itachi smiled, "There is no need to worry her over my little brother fighting a powerful demon." Itachi chuckled, "I wonder how she would have reacted if I told her that."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, he slowly started to get out of bed, but a hand stopped him. "Let me go Itachi."

Itachi shook his head, "You need to rest and recover. You took quite a beating."

Sasuke tried to shake off his brother's hand. "I can rest when I get home."

Itachi's hold grew stronger, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke glared at his older brother, "Don't lecture me. I need to leave."

Itachi raised his eyebrow, "Are you not curious of what set Naruto off?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "A missing cup of ramen from the pantry sets Naruto off." Sasuke gave a curious glance towards his brother, "What happened to you? Naruto never beat you up this badly before."

Itachi retracted his hand from Sasuke's hold, a small frown on his face. He then gently shook his head and smiled at his brother, "I was distracted."

Sasuke frowned, "Don't lie to me. You are terrible at it."

"I was tired?"

Sasuke glared, "Itachi…"

Itachi sat down on the other side of Sasuke's medical bed. "I love you Sasuke." Itachi spoke as his head was bowed. He slowly lifted his head to connect his eyes with his brother's. "I don't say it enough, but I just want you to know."

Sasuke's look softened, a small frown on his face, "What's going on?"

Itachi chuckled lightly and leaned back on the bed. He gently closed his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

Sasuke moved his body slightly to face his older brother. "Itachi if something is going on then tell me."

Itachi cracked an eye open to look at Sasuke briefly, he smiled at Sasuke's words. "I told you I was tired."

Sasuke scoffed, "Even tired you are 100 times stronger than the Dobe. What is up with you? Do you not trust me or something?"

Itachi closed his eyes again, a faint smile on his face. "Do you ever wonder what father and mother are doing?"

Sasuke blinked, he then scratched the top of his head. "Sometimes, but what does that even have to do with anything?"

"I always see them as our guardian angels. Father is lecturing us and telling us that we can do better; meanwhile mother is scolding him and saying that we are doing a good job."

Sasuke smiled faintly, "Yeah, that sounds like them."

Itachi opened his eyes and connected them with his brother's, "What do you think I would do?"

Sasuke flinched slightly, and he frowned, "What do you mean?"

Itachi sighed and leaned his head back on the pillow to look up to the ceiling, "What do you think I would do in the afterlife?"

Sasuke's eyes hardened and his fist clenched, "Why does that matter? You are not there. You are here with me." Sasuke spoke harshly. Sasuke quickly stood up from the bed. His muscles protesting the sudden movements, but he paid them no attention. He moved to gather his clothes to change. "What has gotten into you? Have you been reading those books that Kakashi loves?" Sasuke asked as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Itachi smirked, "Don't judge them until you have read them."

"Perverts." Sasuke mumbled.

Itachi shook his head slightly at his brother's remark. "Do you think I would go to heaven?" He asked softly.

Sasuke growled, "What the hell, Itachi?! Stop asking stupid questions." Sasuke had finished dressing and stood upright, his fists clenching on both of his sides. Sasuke walked to where his brother was resting, "You are not dead Itachi. You won't die. You are the strongest person I know. Even then, I won't let anything happen to you. Do you hear me?" Sasuke asked his brother. Itachi hummed in response.

Sasuke growled again, "I am serious Itachi. I will fight anything and anyone who thinks they can hurt you. Just say the word and I will be by your side."

Itachi opened his eyes and looked up at his brother, "There are some things even you can't fight little brother." Itachi sadly whispered out.

"I am strong!" Sasuke angrily yelled out.

Itachi swiftly raised his arm and poked Sasuke's forehead, "Be respectful to the other patients in the room. There is no need to yell, I already know you are strong."

Sasuke rubbed his forehead again, a small pout on his face, "Then what is wrong with you?"

"I'm dying."

Sasuke felt a sudden chill sweep through his body. Sasuke looked at his brother with disbelief, "I-Itachi…"

"I have a disease that forces my chakra to eat itself." Itachi told Sasuke.

Sasuke felt his whole-body shake, he shook his head. He grabbed his brother's arm, "Itachi! Get up! We can find Tsunade and she can help." Itachi refused to get up, he sighed gently, "She was the one who found this disease. There is nothing she can do."

Sasuke gripped his brother's arm, "So what?! Are we just going to wait here f-for you to die!?" Sasuke let go of his brother's arm, he started to frantically pace, "There has to be a way to stop this. There just has to." Sasuke's pacing halted, his fatigued body gave out from under him and he fell to the floor, "Fuck! I-I just need to… Damn it! Get up!" Sasuke gripped his hair, he could feel his breathing turn haggard and the sting of unshed tears. He looked down onto his lap, a few tears stained his gray pants. _Itachi, please don't leave me. Not like this. Please be a dream._

Itachi stood up from the bed and kneeled beside his brother. He wrapped his arms around Sasuke's shoulders. Itachi felt his brother tremble and he squeezed him tighter. Sasuke unclenched his fingers from his head and let his arms fall to his sides. "P-Please tell me it's a d-dream." Sasuke trembled out. Itachi pulled Sasuke closer, he closed his eyes to stop the tears from rolling down his cheeks. "I'm sorry." Itachi sadly whispered out. Sasuke cried out a bit. Itachi always feared of telling the truth to his little brother. The emotions were too strong, and it took a lot of energy for him not to break down.

"How long have you known?" Sasuke asked. His voice lacked any emotion and it sent a pang through Itachi's heart.

"5 years." Itachi solemnly responded.

Sasuke whipped his head up and looked at Itachi with red and puffy eyes, "Why are you just telling me now?!" Sasuke pulled out of his brother's hold and crawled away. "You were d-dying this whole time and you… you just led me to believe in a lie!" Sasuke grasped his head and cried out again. "I always trusted you, Itachi. I trusted you with everything and you can't trust me with the most important thing in your life?!"

Itachi looked desperately at his brother, "Sasuke, I never wanted this to happen." Itachi clenched his fist, "Did you expect me to drag you around the world in a fruitless journey over a cure that never existed?"

Itachi bit the inside of his cheek, "Sasuke, I trust you with everything. You are my little brother that I love very much. Please, do not hate me." Itachi sadly mumbled out. His eyes looked pleadingly towards his brother.

Sasuke flinched at the tone his brother was using, he whipped his head to look at his brother, "I could never hate you, Itachi." Sasuke moved closer to his heart broken brother, "I hate your reasons." Sasuke wrapped his arms around his older brother, "You are just like father. You are both stubborn and righteous." Itachi chuckled slightly, "Father was never this handsome." Sasuke smiled faintly and squeezed his brother's shoulders, "We must thank our mother for that. She created two handsome men."

"Handsome is debatable. I think you are more of an ugly bastard."

Sasuke turned his head to the other patient in the room, "Speaking from experience?" Sasuke asked Naruto.

Naruto rolled his eyes as he sat up from the bed. His eyes, a deep blue, softened as he looked at the two Uchiha brothers. Naruto then comically threw himself back on the bed, "Finally, Sasuke knows! It is super hard trying to keep a secret, you know?"

Sasuke's eyes widened and then moved to glare at his brother, "The Dobe knew before me?" He stated while pointing towards Naruto.

Itachi shrugged his shoulders, "He is the King, Sasuke."

"Well duh I knew, who do you think pays for the 'fruitless journey' for the cure" Naruto said from the bed he was laying at.

Sasuke's eyes softened, "Is there really no cure?"

Itachi slowly shook his head. Sasuke clenched his fists, "How long…"

"Almost a year." Itachi replied. Itachi placed a hand on top of Sasuke's hand, "I was traveling the world for the last couple of years. I just wanted to see some of my favorite spots for the last time." Itachi squeezed his brother's hand, "I want to spend my last moments with you Sasuke."

Sasuke squeezed back his brother's hand, "Is that why you came yesterday? You wanted to stay with me?" Itachi nodded. Itachi then sighed, "But I don't want to intrude."

"You won't"

"But Sasu-…"

"I said 'You won't'. Trust me."

Itachi gave him a grateful smile. Sasuke smiled back, "I love you, Itachi."

Itachi gently placed his forehead on Sasuke's, "I love you, Sasuke."

"Come over here, Dobe." Sasuke called out.

"Eh?!" Naruto yelled out.

Itachi smiled, "Even though, we may be cousins I still think of you as a little brother. I also wanted to spend my last moments with you too."

Naruto felt his eyes tear up, he quickly scrambled off the bed and joined his two brothers on the floor. He wrapped his arms around them. The two Uchiha brothers reciprocated the group hug. "I love you guys" Naruto told them. "I love you too Naruto." Itachi told him. Naruto laughed sadly, he then looked at Sasuke, Sasuke smirked slightly, "Tsk, I love you too."

"Anything you need Itachi, don't hesitate to ask." Naruto told Itachi.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto looked over at Sasuke, "The same goes for you."

"Hn."

Naruto smiled and laughed sadly, "Why do we only come together when things start to fall apart? Why can't things like this happen just because?"

Itachi sighed and closed his eyes, "Great men prefer to stand alone. Only when misfortune strikes, do great men band together to prove that the impossible is possible."

"Then why are you still dying?" Sasuke asked bitterly.

"That's easy, you aren't a great man, Sasuke." Naruto joked.

Itachi chuckled, "The length of my life is not the impossible. The experiences I would have never gone through in my lifetime was the impossible. I would have never been able to live through everything I wanted to do and see even if I didn't have this disease. Naruto gave me the possibility to experience everything I have ever wanted. And now, I get to be my brothers sides until I die. I get to be the ideal older brother." Itachi closed his eyes, "I am living my life's dreams and I could never ask for anything more."

Sasuke felt the sting of tears again, he let the tears fall and pulled Naruto and Itachi closer. Itachi, Naruto, and Sasuke huddled their heads together. Naruto sniffled, tears staining his whiskered cheeks, "Family?" Sasuke nodded his head, "Family." "Always." Itachi added. The honesty of the words resounded in the hearts of the three brothers. Sasuke sighed. _We are all together again, even if it is only for a short amount of time._

The sound of the infirmary opening, forced the three brothers separate. Naruto quickly moved to his bed and Itachi helped Sasuke to his bed. Sasuke thanked Itachi. Itachi smiled, "I will go back to your house for the meantime. Tsunade will message me when you will be allowed to leave, and I will return to accompany you back to your house. Rest well." Itachi looked over to Naruto, "You too Naruto."

Naruto beamed at him and gave him a thumb up, "You got it Big Bro Itachi." Itachi smiled at his new nickname. He then did a hand sign and disappeared in a puff of smoke and leaves.

Sasuke sighed as he laid back and he slowly let his eyes close.

"Glad to see that you two are awake." Tsunade spoke as she walked into the room.

"Hn."

"Hey Granny."

Tsunade glared at Naruto, "Care to explain what the hell happened? Why did you lose control, Naruto?!"

Sasuke opened one eye to look at the blonde, he was also curious of what royally pissed off the Dobe.

Naruto combed a hand through his hair, "It was stupid."

Tsunade clenched her fist, "Listen here brat, you destroyed the Queen's turf completely and it will need to be repaired. Not only that, you damaged the royal gardens that have been growing since my grandfather was alive. To add on top, you also terrified your future wife. The poor girl wakes up screaming."

Naruto hung his head in shame. Tsunade sighed angrily, "I will ask you once more, what happened?"

Naruto let out a sad sigh, "Itachi and I were talking in my study. He was giving me some life advice about women. He was telling me how screwed up my love life was." Naruto crossed his arms in front of himself, "As if I didn't know that already." He mumbled out childishly.

Naruto then sighed again, "I then asked him what he would do in my situation. He told me that 'If you are in love with two women, pick the second. You never truly loved the first one if you were swayed so easily by the second.' I then told Itachi to fuck off since I didn't like his answer. He chuckled at me and told me I was an idiot. He then asked me if the second woman was still here and I told him yes. He then told me there was no second person he could sense in the Queen's turf. I then told him to shut up and not joke about that. But he was completely serious, Granny. I felt my heart speed up and I rushed to the Queen's turf and… _she wasn't there_."

Naruto gripped his bedsheets, "I-I got so angry and I was in so much pain. I-I was the one who hurt her, and s-she left because of me!" Naruto grabbed his head and shook his head, "Itachi tried to tell me to calm down, but I-I was gone. I-I told him to leave, but he wouldn't listen. He kept trying to touch me and I kept getting angrier. I-I just wanted to wallow in pity, but he kept coming; a-and then I just snapped. I felt the chakra getting hotter a-and I p-punched Big Bro Itachi into the w-wall s-super hard." Naruto choked on a sob, he let go of his head and hid his face in his hands, "I-I remember seeing I-Itachi not moving. H-He was just slumped on the ground unconscious, b-blood dripping from his head. I-I have never seen him so defenseless before and I continued walking towards him. I-I was going to k-kill him!" Naruto cried out, "I-It never crossed my mind that it was Big Bro Itachi and that he was s-sick. I-I became a m-monster!" Naruto began to cry silently, "L-Luckily you came and took him away. I don't w-want to know what could have happened."

Naruto's soft crying was the only thing that was heard in the room. "What was the second woman's name?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto lifted his head up to see Sasuke and he wiped his face with his hands to get rid of his tears. "Hinata, she is a princess from The Land of Waves."

Sasuke gripped his bedsheets, "You were going to marry her?"

Naruto nodded softly, he played softly with his hands, "Not anymore though."

"Why?" Sasuke could not stop his curiosity.

Naruto let out a shaky breath, "My first true love is back."

Sasuke let go of his intense grip on the bedsheets, "The little dark-haired girl with eyes like the moon?"

Naruto nodded, "She is alive Sasuke. She came back to me after all this time. We are getting married. She will officially be called Karin Namikaze, the Queen of Fire."

Sasuke felt his heart painfully throb, half of him wanted to see his first true love, but the other half wanted to hide. He did not want to fall in love with his first love again, he already had Hinata. Beautiful, feisty, and strong Hinata was waiting for him back home. She was _worrying_ over _him_. Nevertheless, he let the words escape him through the guilt he felt. "I want to see her."

Sasuke felt himself get sick at the thought of hurting Hinata in the similar fashion that Naruto did. _What if I fall in love with my first love again? Where does that leave Hinata? Will I still feel the same emotions when Hinata is near?_ Sasuke grit his teeth, he couldn't believe that he was going down the same path as the Dobe. Sasuke was about to retract his previous statement when a soft knock flooded the room. Sasuke swallowed thickly. _Kami, I hope that isn't…_

"Karin, you may enter; Naruto is awake." Tsunade spoke.

"T-Thank you, Tsunade." A soft feminine voice replied.

Sasuke sat up on his bed, intently staring at the door.

The door opened wide, and there she was. The exact image of his first true love, although a bit more mature and older. However, her features were exactly how he remembered. The short hairstyle on her dark locks and the silvery white eyes. The woman ran into the room to hug Naruto. Sasuke felt a surge of jealousy hit him, but he cooled down when he saw Naruto's face. He looked anything but relieved. He didn't even return the hug, he just let it happen. Sasuke frowned in concentration, he remembered how Naruto became a beacon of happiness when Karin was around when they were younger.

Sasuke frowned further, he also remembered how his heart rate would increase when she entered the room. When Karin entered the infirmary, he just held his breath. There were no strong emotions that left him in a hypnotic trance. _Not like how Hinata does it_.

Even now, as he _thought_ about her he could feel his adrenaline spike. Hinata didn't even need to be in the same room to make him feel exhilarated. Just the mere thought of her could send him running. He glanced back at Naruto and Karin. Naruto had finally wrapped his arms around her and she had cupped his face in her hands. Sasuke laid back on his bed and looked up at the ceiling.

He then started to imagine hugging Hinata and her holding his face with her soft hands. Sasuke felt his heartbeat increase at the thought of the feel of her palms against his cheeks. He could almost smell her soothing scent and he could almost feel her soft hands caressing his face. The constant electrifying feeling traveling to wherever she touched him. He could feel himself lean into her and pulling her into a passionate kiss. Their lips touching sent burning fire through his blood. He felt _alive_. All his senses were tuned into her and only her. Sasuke looked over at Karin. She may have been his first love, but people change. He changed. Sasuke smiled happily, he had always felt disgusted with himself for loving the same girl as his brother. But he no longer felt the constant envy or anger. At last, they both got what they wanted; a woman they could be with for the rest of their lives. _Congratulations, Naruto._

"Hey Sasuke, you said you wanted to meet her. Here is Karin, our childhood friend." Naruto told him.

Sasuke sat up a bit to look at Karin. She turned towards him and she looked stunned. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, _What's wrong with her? Maybe I just look different._ Sasuke slightly nodded in salutation. Her cheeks started to redden, and he gave her a weird look. Why was she blushing? He wasn't doing anything. Suddenly, she lunged at him. She wrapped her arms around him, "Oh Sasuke-kun! I thought I would never get to see you!" She yelled at him.

Sasuke cringed at her loud voice. Her hug was suffocating him, and he gently tried to push her off without making it too obvious. He scowled when she tightened her hold, he did not like this. "I don't like it when people touch me." Sasuke growled out. Karin immediately let go and jumped back, she was still blushing as she looked at the floor, "I-I'm s-sorry Sasuke-kun, I-I forgot." She gently told him. Sasuke frowned and rolled his eyes, "Yeah." Sasuke laid back on the bed and he looked at the ceiling. _I really did change. I remember telling her when we were little that she could touch me anytime she wanted._ Sasuke smirked. _That had her blushing for days._

"Don't mind Teme, he is just sensitive." Naruto told Karin.

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. He still felt tired, so he rolled on his side facing away from Karin and Naruto. He closed his eyes and let himself fall asleep. "Wake me up when lunch arrives." Sasuke told Naruto before fully falling asleep.

Naruto smiled and nodded, "Sure thing."

* * *

"Itachi-san are you sure you do not want any help?" Hinata asked. Itachi shook his head, "It is fine, Hinata. I am capable of doing this by myself." Itachi was using his chakra infused axe to cut down a tree. In all honesty, Itachi felt this task completely draining but he refused to let Hinata see him like that. He could feel his face drenched with sweat and he could feel himself start to reach his limit. Itachi swung his axe harder, he hated this. He was a renowned killer. He was feared across all kingdoms, but now he was reduced to a man who couldn't cut a tree to save his life.

Bitter tears stung his eyes. He huffed to mask the sob that came out. He felt Hinata move closer and he wanted to yell at her to leave him alone. "I am not weak." He told her as she approached. "I never said you were." She softly replied. "Sasuke once talked about him having a brother. He spoke very highly of you." Itachi gripped his axe tighter and hit the tree again, _I am just a shell of the man I used to be._ His axe got stuck in the wood and when he tried to pull it, he realized that he did not have enough strength to pull it out. Itachi hung his head, letting his hair cover the unshed tears in his eyes. Itachi pulled again in vain to try to dislodge the axe.

He felt her gently place her hand on his hands that were gripping the axe handle. "I believe that a strong man is not afraid of asking for help." Itachi still held his head down. Hinata softly smiled at him, "I may have just met you Itachi-san, but I know in my heart that you are a good person." She squeezed his hands gently with hers, "The goodness in your heart makes you glow. There is no need for you to be ashamed." Itachi gasped and looked up at her, his eyes brimming with unshed tears, "What could you possibly know about pride?" He bit out to her. Hinata's eyes lowered softly to where her hand was placed on Itachi's, "Personally, I never had much pride. I was the disregarded princess of The Land of Waves. My sisters hate me." Hinata giggled softly, Itachi glared. "And look at me, I am short and have weird eyes. I am not winning any beauty competition any time soon." Itachi looked away from Hinata. _If only Sasuke were here to tell you otherwise._ "I do not have any pride and I am not able to relate to what you are feeling, Itachi-san." Hinata gave him a small smile, "Even in my far homeland we have heard of you. You are the fearless and powerful knight of The Royal Court of Fire, Itachi Uchiha." Itachi growled, "If I am so powerful and great then why can't I cut this damn tree!?" Itachi pulled strongly on the hilt of the axe, yet the axe did not budge.

Itachi let out a tired breath. _Pathetic._

"Power can be shown in different ways than just brute strength."

Itachi rolled his eyes at her cliché moral. He let go of his axe and started to walk away. He stopped walking when he heard her talk again. "In the Land of Waves, we do not have a Royal Court like the one here. I remember the various stories of the feats that the knights of The Land of Fire would accomplish. I could never dream of moving mountains or creating balls of energy out of thin air." Hinata smiled at the memories, "I would sometimes envision myself to be this grand fighter of those stories. For only a moment, I could dream of being something more than just a regular girl. The stories taught us about strength, cooperation, and loyalty." Hinata looked up to where Itachi stood, "Your battles were the most memorable during my childhood. You were famous. Everyone wanted to be exactly like you. They wanted to be the knight that never backed down and who fiercely protected those he held dear." Hinata grasped the axe handle, "You leave a legacy, Itachi. You inspire those with big dreams to reach for the unbelievable." Hinata pulled the axe with all her strength, "You inspire those with big dreams to do the impossible." Hinata huffed at the strength she was exerting. "You may no longer be able to move mountains," Hinata grit her teeth as she felt the axe handle bite into her skin, "But you move people's minds." Hinata pulled again, and she felt the axe move a bit, she wrapped her hands tighter and pulled once more. She felt the axe give way and she fell on her backside, she turned to face Itachi who was now looking at her curiously, "I think that is the most powerful thing anyone can do." Hinata gave him a bright smile, "Thank you, Itachi-san for being my inspiration." Itachi turned away from her, a small blush on his features, "Hn."

* * *

Sasuke could not wait until he could leave the palace. It had already felt like a week, but it had only been two days since him and Naruto woke up. Sasuke sat in the palace library looking over some battle scrolls, but he did not register anything he read. He let out a tired sigh and pushed the scrolls away. He wanted to be home with his brother and Hinata. The thought of Hinata made his heart clench. He hadn't seen her in a week. He rested his head on the table, he was bored out of his mind. He finally remembered why he left the palace in the first place. There was always nothing to do.

Naruto had been spending his free time with Karin, and that left Sasuke to be on his own. Sasuke let out another sigh, that wasn't entirely true. Naruto had asked him if he wanted to join them. Sasuke would not have minded, he did not care if he was the third wheel. He just wanted to do _something_. However, Sasuke couldn't stomach being in the same room as Karin. He had noticed that she would throw him flirtatious smiles when Naruto was not looking; and she would also touch him any chance she got. Sasuke did not want to butt into anyone's relationship, so he decided that he would just leave them be. He had no interest in Karin.

Sasuke closed his eyes as he laid on the table. A small smile tugged on his lips, he was faintly remembering the night he held Hinata in his arms when they slept. She was freshly showered and warm. Her nightwear giving him more places to touch her skin. He could remember the soft grip around his waist and the slight heaviness on his shoulder where Hinata's head lay. He could also remember the way she softly touched his hair. Sasuke mentally frowned, _Hinata never did that while sleeping._

Sasuke cracked open his eyes a bit and indeed he felt someone touching his hair. Sasuke quickly moved himself away from whoever was touching him. "What are you doing?" Sasuke growled out.

Karin looked at the floor shyly, "I-I was just m-making sure if you were okay."

Sasuke glared at her, "You do not need to touch me to figure that out."

Karin gave him a small smile, "I-I'm s-sorry."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at her, it was always the same apology. She touches him, he shows his displeasure, and then she apologizes. "No."

Karin looked at him with wide eyes, "W-What do you mean?"

Sasuke frowned, "Touch me again and I will cut your hands off. I do not care if you are Naruto's bride. A soon-to-be wife should not be touching other men." Sasuke walked to the library exit, "Do not test my patience." He told her as he walked out.

Sasuke walked towards his temporary room in the palace. Sasuke ruffled his hair, he did not want to be mean to Karin. She was going to be a part of his family, but her behavior was unacceptable. Queen or no Queen, he will not let her do whatever she pleases. He reached his room and quickly entered. He laid on the bed, _Itachi get over here already._ Sasuke forced himself to fall asleep.

A couple of hours later, a soft knock awoke Sasuke. Sasuke opened his eyes immediately, he quickly rushed to the door. Sasuke smirked, "Finally."

Sasuke walked towards the exit of the palace, with the person following closely behind.

"How are you feeling Sasuke?" Itachi asked.

"Much better." Sasuke replied. He could not wait to return home. His heart started to race, and his feet itched with the need to run.

"You look excited. Are you ready to meet Hinata?" Itachi asked, a small smile on his face.

Sasuke gave his brother a quick nod. _You have no idea._

They both quickly made their way to the forest that led to his cottage. Sasuke quickly jumped on a tree branch and started to quickly hop back home. _I am coming Hinata._

* * *

Hinata was chopping some more wood from the tree that her and Itachi managed to cut down this morning. The axe in her hand was starting to give her cramps, but she did not mind. This wood was being put to good use. She raised the axe higher and went to slash it down, but it never did. In fact, she no longer felt the weight of the axe in her hands. She was about to look around to find where the axe was, when a pair of arms wrapped around her middle from behind. Hinata blushed, and she felt a shiver run through her. "I'm home, Hinata." Sasuke's husky voice spoke to her. Hinata leaned her head back, and she felt her heart skip a beat. Hinata quickly turned her body around to face Sasuke. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body gently against his. "Sasuke-kun, welcome home!" Hinata told him as she snuggled her head into his chest. Sasuke tightened his grip on her waist, "Did you miss me?" He felt her nod, "Very much." She mumbled out. Sasuke smiled as he rested his head on hers. He felt Hinata pull back slightly and he loosened his hold a bit. He looked down at her blushing and smiling face.

Hinata tiptoed up to brush her lips on his, her eyes closed. Sasuke pulled her closer and pressed his lips forcefully against hers.

Sasuke sighed as he closed his eyes, this was what he missed.

Hinata pushed into the kiss and she combed her fingers through Sasuke's hair.

A small cough interrupted their kiss from becoming more passionate. Hinata's blush deepened and she moved away from Sasuke. She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. Sasuke smiled a bit at her reaction, he then turned to look at his smirking brother. Sasuke rolled his eyes at his cock-blocking brother.

"Sasuke, Hinata was helping me gather some wood. I told her how I was planning on building an extension for your cottage." Itachi told him.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow, "Like a room for you?"

Itachi chuckled, "You could say that."

"Need any help?" Sasuke offered.

"No!" Hinata squeaked from her position. Her face still blushing.

Sasuke frowned a bit. Itachi chuckled again, "It is just a project that Hinata and I are working on together." Sasuke's frown deepened. Itachi walked towards Sasuke and ruffled his hair, "Do not get angry Sasuke. I won't be stealing Hinata away from you. This will be a pastime hobby that Hinata and I will do when you are away."

Sasuke gave Itachi a confused look, "Away?"

Itachi raised his eyebrow, "Didn't Naruto tell you?"

Sasuke slowly shook his head.

Itachi gave his brother a small smile, "You will be taking my position in the Royal Court now that I am not able to."

Sasuke clenched his fists as he felt his heart drop at the thought of his brother's situation, "Itachi, I could never replace you. Everybody knows that."

Itachi sighed, "Sasuke, do not put yourself down. I never want you to think that you are less than I am. I am not saying this because I am your brother, but you are strong. You are a powerful knight than I ever was at your age."

Sasuke crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I am only strong because I had you to guide me."

Itachi's eyes sparkled, "I am happy that I could help you."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, a small blush formed on his cheeks, "You made me push myself harder every day. I wanted to be just like you. You are my inspiration and driving force that makes me strong. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Sasuke looked away from his brother, he wasn't used to giving out that many compliments out loud.

Itachi pulled Sasuke closer and pressed his forehead to his. Sasuke gasped at the sudden movement as he looked into his smiling brother's eyes. "Thank you." Itachi told him. Sasuke's eyes softened and he gave his brother a small smile, "Don't mention it."

Itachi chuckled and pulled away from his brother and poked his forehead. Sasuke rubbed his forehead and rolled his eyes. Sasuke looked at Hinata. She was giving them a shining smile, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She bowed her head, "T-Thank you for letting me witness such an intimate family moment. It warms my heart to know how much you both care for each other. I-I truly believe that love transcends lifetimes, a-and even though this lifetime may be finite, the love you both share is everlasting."

Both Sasuke and Itachi blushed at her words. They gave each other side looks and then they began chuckling. Their chuckles soon turned into full blown laughter.

Hinata looked up to stare at the two men laughing hysterically, she cocked her head to the side. _Why are they laughing?_

Itachi had ended up on the floor laughing, while Sasuke clutched his stomach. They both felt that they needed a good laugh to get rid of the emotional turmoil that hung over them.

Sasuke was the first to calm down, he let out a sigh and ruffled his hair. He looked up to see a confused Hinata and he gave her a smile. _She is too cute sometimes._ Sasuke looked over to see his brother also calming down, his face was slightly red, and a couple of tears managed to escape his eyes. Sasuke smiled gently, if there was any memory that he wanted to remember Itachi with, he would pick this moment. Itachi looked so care-free and happy. _I promise to make these last couple of months the best you ever had, Itachi._

Itachi sensing Sasuke's stare, looked up at him. "She is something else, isn't she?" Itachi asked.

Sasuke nodded.

Itachi let out a content sigh and let himself lay back on the floor, "Keep her. She is good for you."

Sasuke looked towards a blushing Hinata. _You don't have to tell me twice._

Itachi stood up from the ground and stretched, "Sasuke, you should go out to hunt for dinner. I feel like eating a warm rabbit stew. Hinata told me she would make us some, but she just needs the rabbit."

Sasuke nodded, "Okay, let me just change out of these clothes."

Itachi smiled as Sasuke walked to the cottage. He turned to Hinata and gave her a smirk, "Are you ready to continue?"

Hinata vigorously nodded, "Yes, Itachi-sensei!"

"We will continue when Sasuke leaves. You have been doing well on your chakra control. I am impressed at how precise you were able to manipulate the chakra. Our next lesson will be how to manipulate the chakra more efficiently. At this moment, you are spending way too much chakra on simple techniques. We will need to refine them. Chakra is the most vital thing that can help give you leverage against your opponent. There are those like Sasuke and I who are born with large amounts of chakra. However, there are still ways to grow your chakra reserves."

Hinata nodded at Itachi's teaching. She was about to ask Itachi a question, but Sasuke came back.

"Okay, I am off. I will be back in a couple of hours." He told Itachi.

Itachi nodded.

Sasuke walked over to Hinata.

Hinata blushed as Sasuke walked nearer. "Do not miss me too much." Sasuke told her. Hinata felt herself blush harder. Sasuke leaned forward and brushed his lips on her forehead. Hinata shivered at the loving contact. Sasuke stepped back and Hinata smiled up at him. "Be safe Sasuke-kun." She stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Sasuke's eyes widened at her daring move. He gave her a small smile, "Hn." Sasuke took gentle hold of her hand and squeezed it, "I will be back." He let go of her hand and disappeared in a puff of smoke and leaves.

Hinata's eyes widened, _Woah, Sasuke-kun is amazing._ Hinata turned to Itachi, "When will I be able to do that?" She asked excitedly.

Itachi chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Once you start increasing your chakra reserves."

Hinata clasped her hands happily, "I am ready to learn."

Chapter 27

Hinata laid on the snowy muddy floor completely exhausted and almost out of chakra. _Learning is very hard._

Itachi nudged her side with his foot, "We are not done with training yet. Sasuke is arriving back from his three-day training mission today. It will be good for us to get in enough practice before he shows up."

Hinata let out another tired sigh but stood up anyway. "Yes, Itachi-sensei."

Itachi swiftly nodded, "Climb up the tree again."

Hinata nodded. She ran forward to the tree and started to climb up the tree using her chakra. She had been practicing this routine for a week and she had only managed to get halfway up. She was reaching the halfway point, but she had not lost her concentration on her footing yet. She got rid of the notion that she was high off the ground. It would only distract her. She pretended that she was just walking on the street instead up a tree. She felt one of her feet crunch the bark underneath her foot. She grit her teeth, _Calm down, Hinata. You are putting too much chakra in your steps. Remember what Itachi said, 'Focus on the way the energy flows and adjust your chakra to be in tune with nature.'._

Hinata took a steady breath and focused on the energy the tree provided. She let her footsteps match the energy of the tree. She took a couple more steps and she could finally see the top of the tree. Hinata mentally cheered, but the excitement led her to release more chakra than necessary. The tree bark broke underneath her feet, and she felt the tree energy rebound with her chakra. She flew back at the sudden energy rebound.

Hinata felt herself falling from high above the ground, she let out a terrifying scream. She had no idea how to stop herself from falling.

A sudden mass intercepted her midfall. She felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her before she felt the impact of the ground. Her body crashed into the other body that was holding hers as they landed forcefully on the ground. Her head forcefully smacked into the person's chest and she felt her head spinning. The person underneath her grunted in pain. Hinata opened her eyes and looked at the man beneath her.

Hinata grabbed a hold of Itachi's head gently, "Itachi-sensei! Are you okay? I-I am so sorry that you had to h-hurt yourself b-because of me." Hinata lifted her body slightly above his to inspect his head. She could already see some slight bruising and a cut on his forehead was already bleeding. Hinata pressed her sleeve onto the wound to try to stop the bleeding.

Itachi let out another painful groan and he opened his eyes slightly to look at her. Hinata looked down at him and frowned. "That was reckless." She told Itachi.

Itachi smirked, "I'm not dead yet."

Hinata frowned further, "Itachi-kun, don't say that."

Itachi rolled his eyes, "I wasn't going to let you fall, especially from that height."

Hinata bit her lip nervously and sighed, "I am sorry I failed again."

Itachi shook his head, "Training was never meant to be easy, Hinata. Do not feel discouraged. True failure is when you stop trying." Itachi gave her an encouraging smile.

Hinata smiled back at him.

A loud cough made them both turn around. Hinata blushed and quickly stood up from Itachi. Itachi slowly got up from the floor.

Sasuke had his arms crossed in front of him and he was glaring at them. Hinata clasped her hands in front of her. "I leave for three days and you jump to my brother?" Sasuke coldly asked Hinata. Hinata gasped and quickly shook her head, "Sasuke-kun… I-I would n-never…" Sasuke suddenly appeared in front of her and Hinata eeped. She could feel his enormous amount of power, "I know what I saw. Do not lie to me. I hate liars." Sasuke venomously spat. The coldness in his eyes making him even more imposing. Hinata felt herself tremble in slight panic and distress, "S-Sasu…" Sasuke's lips crashed into hers forcefully. Hinata moaned into the passionate kiss and she wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt Sasuke pull her closer and she hummed happily. Sasuke quickly let go of her lips, "Who do you belong to, Princess?" He huskily asked her. Hinata breathed heavily, "Y-You." Sasuke kissed her neck, "Say my name." She felt him suckle a part of her neck, "S-Sasu…" He bit her, "-kun!" She squeaked out. Sasuke chuckled into her neck, "Is that my new name?" Hinata blushed deeply. "I like it." Sasuke told her as he separated himself from her. Hinata took a deep breath and raised a hand to her chest. Sasuke always left her breathless. It was his special effect that he had on her.

"Sasuke-kun…"

"No more 'Sasu-kun'?" Sasuke tauntingly asked her.

Hinata blushed, she fiddled with her hands as she looked down, "A-Ah S-Sasu-kun, I-Itachi-kun and I were not…"

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah I know."

Hinata widened her eyes at him. "B-But y-you were…"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "I just wanted to get you riled up. I saw you were training with the tree climbing exercise. Why didn't you ever tell me you were training?"

Hinata shyly looked down again, "I wanted to surprise you." She mumbled.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Hinata clenched her fist and a determined look was on her face, "I wanted you to be proud of me. I-I wanted to p-prove to you that I-I am strong enough to be by your side. I-I wanted to be able to p-protect you." Hinata turned slightly away from Sasuke, "I wanted you to see that I was worth something. I wanted you to see that there is someone worth it underneath this princess."

"Why did you want me to see all that?"

Hinata froze, her heart lurched. She clenched the fabric of her sleeves. She felt her eyes begin to water and her throat started to clam up. She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she looked away from Sasuke. She tried to calm herself with deep breaths. Her heart was throbbing. _Did he not want to see me like that? Or maybe he doesn't even care about me?_ Hinata pulled tighter on her sleeve, _I need to tell him how I feel._ "I-I w-wanted you to see all that because I-I want t-to b-be…"

 _Tell him!_

She quickly turned to face him, "I WANT TO BE WITH YOU!" Hinata cried out to him. Hinata quickly fell to her knees after her exclamation. Her head was bowed, her long navy-blue locks covering her tear-streaked face. Hinata wrapped her arms around herself, she had never felt so vulnerable in her life.

Here she was professing her love to a man who drove her hormones crazy just by breathing. A man who could have any woman he wanted. _I am such an idiot. Why did I tell him? Why does this confession hurt so much? It didn't hurt this badly when I told Naruto that I loved him._ Hinata wondered what changed. _Naruto was looking for a wife. I knew perfectly what he wanted and where I stood. But with Sasuke, I-I don't even know where I stand. Am I just a trophy for him to conquer?_ Hinata sobbed a bit at the thought of being just a random woman in his life. _He is a very handsome man, he has probably been with so many women._ Hinata felt sick in the stomach, she bit her tongue to stop herself from letting out a cry.

Sasuke watched Hinata fall to the ground in a heap of tears.

"Hey Sasuke, I am going to go and leave you two alone. This is getting too personal and I am feeling very awkward." Itachi told him.

"If I see her cry like this again because of you I will kick your ass." Itachi told him as he was walked away back to the cottage.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked towards Hinata. _Stupid girl._

Sasuke quickly pulled her to her feet. He didn't let her respond because his lips were on hers in an instant. It took a while for Hinata's lips to respond to his kisses, but she soon reciprocated with equal enthusiasm. _I love you, Hinata._

He started moving her backwards until her back was pressed onto a wooden trunk of a tree. He used one of his hands to pin her wrists above her head, and his other hand gripped her waist. They were in the similar position from when they first met. He separated his lips from hers and he rested his forehead on hers.

"Sasuke-kun?"

He looked down at the beautiful woman below him, "Hn."

"I-I d-don't k-know w-what t-this m-means. W-What a-are w-we?"

Sasuke laid his forehead against hers again, "I love you Hinata."

He felt her take a sharp intake of air. He swooped down to kiss her once more. He felt her kiss back more fiercely than ever before. Her arms were struggling to be let free, but he didn't let them escape. He felt her nibble his bottom lip and he opened his mouth to let her enter. Their tongues competing for dominance. He felt her leg wrap around his leg. He moved his free arm from her waist down to her leg. He helped hoist it up to wrap around his waist. He pressed his chest harder into Hinata's. He let go of her wrists and her arms flew to his neck. Her fingertips playing with the back of his head and neck. His other hand grabbed her other leg and wrapped it around his waist as well.

Hinata moved her hips and Sasuke moaned. His grip on her legs tightened. He let his hands travel down to cup her backside. He squeezed the soft flesh and she squeaked into the kiss. He rubbed himself against her, earning himself another moan from the beauty. She moved her hips again and he grunted. He then moved his hips against hers again. Their grinding soon became in sync and he felt himself groan in pleasure. He separated his lips from hers. He tucked his chin into her neck and her head rested on his shoulder. Their moans were increasing the faster they ground their hips together. He suddenly pulled his hips away from her legs; and he gently dropped her legs to the floor for her to stand up. Hinata frowned at the sudden separation.

"Sasu…"

"Sorry Hinata, we needed to stop." Sasuke spoke out ruggedly.

Hinata continued to frown, "Why?"

Sasuke gave her a small smirk, "We can't have sex yet. You are a princess and you need to get married first."

Hinata's eyes widened and she looked down at the ground painfully, "Oh."

Sasuke sighed as he ruffled his hair, "I can't marry you until you are 18, Hinata. We need to wait a couple of more months to make things official."

Hinata looked up in surprise, "You want to marry me?" She asked in shock.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, he then poked her forehead. "Stupid girl." He grabbed her hand and led her back to the cottage, "Let's go."

Hinata smiled brightly as she rubbed her forehead softly with her free hand. She softly squeezed his hand, "I love you too, Sasu-kun." Hinata mumbled out.

"Hn." Sasuke squeezed her hand back. A small smile on his lips.

* * *

Sasuke casually leaned on the wall in his living room while Itachi rested on the sofa. Hinata was making them some lunch in the kitchen.

"How is the training going?" Itachi asked his younger brother.

"It is going well. I have been excelling at every test." Sasuke told him.

Itachi leaned back on the sofa, "Why did you not join The Royal Court before?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "The Royal Court did not need two Uchihas."

Itachi looked at his brother sternly, "Sasuke I already told you not to put yourself down. You and I are brothers, we are our own individuals. We should never be compared to each other."

Sasuke sighed and he slightly glared at his older brother, "Yeah I know, but no one else seems to understand that." Sasuke ruffled his hair, "They look at me and the first thing they think is you. They expect me to be a carbon copy of you and it pisses me off. I will never be a replacement for you, Itachi."

Itachi smiled, "I do not wish that either." Itachi then chuckled, "Is that why I heard that the unit chief of training got a random burn on his left arm?"

Sasuke eyed his brother, "Where did you hear that?"

"A little fox somewhere told me." Itachi's eyes twinkled as he spoke.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "The Dobe doesn't know what month it is. Nevertheless, what goes on in The Royal Court."

"On the contrary, I think Naru-…"

"Lunch is ready, come eat." Hinata interrupted as she was standing in the kitchen doorway that led to the living room.

Both men nodded in response, and Hinata smiled and walked back into the kitchen.

Sasuke looked at his brother intensely and Itachi raised his eyebrow, "Don't mention the dobe in front of Hinata."

Itachi tilted his head to the side a bit, "Why?"

Sasuke opened his mouth to respond, but Hinata once again interrupted, "Come on you two. I promise that the meal is delicious. I am starving."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her impatience while Itachi smiled softly.

"I will tell you later, Itachi." Sasuke told his brother as he walked into the kitchen.

Itachi nodded as he followed behind.

All three of them were sitting comfortably around the kitchen table eating peacefully.

"Sasu-kun, when is your next training mission?" Hinata asked as she munched on her cooked rabbit.

"I will be leaving in 3 days." Sasuke told her.

Hinata hummed in acknowledgment.

"Usually The Royal Court is more demanding. They encourage trainees to stay in the training camp since every other day is a new training day. However, I am in a different situation than the other candidates." Sasuke added.

"Why is that?" Hinata asked.

"The first thing is Itachi's situation as you know…" Sasuke replied slowly.

Hinata could feel her eyes water at the thought of losing her beloved friend and sensei.

Itachi smiled brightly, "No tears during our time together." Itachi pipped up happily.

Hinata smiled warmly and chuckled a sad sob, "Y-You are right, Itachi-kun. No tears, not when we have each other."

"Hn." Sasuke said.

Itachi poked Sasuke's forehead, "You have such a way with words, brother."

Sasuke rolled his eyes as he rubbed his forehead, "Don't get used to it."

Hinata giggled at the brother's interactions, "W-What are the other reasons for your different situation in the training program?"

Sasuke shifted his eyes from Hinata to his brother and gave him a barely visible shake of the head. He then looked back at Hinata, "It is just family business."

Hinata nodded, she respected Sasuke's privacy over family related issues and she would not push it.

Sasuke gave her a smirk, "Are you telling me you want me to leave more often?"

Hinata gasped, "I-I w-would never!"

Sasuke and Itachi chuckled.

"She just wants to train with me." Itachi told Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at Hinata, "Tell me Princess, what is it that you are learning?"

Hinata shook her head, "I can't Sasu-kun. It is a surprise."

Sasuke smiled slightly, _I can't wait to find out._

Sasuke looked over at his brother, "So is the cottage extension just a failed cover-up for the training?"

Itachi shook his head slightly, "No, we are building it slowly." He winked at Hinata as he spoke.

Hinata blushed heavily and looked away from Itachi.

Sasuke looked curiously at the pair, he could not stop himself from feeling a twinge of jealousy. The jealousy soon left. He knew that Itachi would not betray him by stealing Hinata away from him. Sasuke rolled his eyes. _Let them do whatever they are doing. I bet it will be worth it at the end._

"Are you sure you guys don't need help? I could get some wood or bring some supplies from town." Sasuke offered.

Both Hinata and Itachi shook their heads. "Sorry Sasuke, but this is something that I wish to do with only Hinata." Itachi told him and Hinata nodded in agreement.

"Would I at least get to see it when it is finished?" Sasuke begrudgingly asked, his arms folded in front of his chest.

"Of course, Sasu-kun. The room will be a new addition to the cottage." Hinata smiled up to him with a beautiful blush on her features.

Sasuke smirked, he could kiss her right now if he wanted. Sasuke relaxed into the chair he was sitting on, "Fine, do whatever you guys want. I will just wait."

Hinata and Itachi both smiled at him.

Sasuke sighed again, "I still do not understand all the secrecy for one room."

"It is not that the room is a secret, Sasuke. I just want to build it by myself." Itachi told Sasuke.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow in confusion, "So why is Hinata helping?"

"Hinata fit into the plan. I was going to ask her to help eventually." Itachi told Sasuke.

Hinata reached out to place her hand on top of Sasuke's arm, "Stop asking Sasu-kun. We are not going to tell you anything. Just wait patiently."

Sasuke took hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, "Fine."

Hinata smiled brightly, she then looked around the table. "Let me gather the dishes and clean up."

Itachi stood up before her and picked up all the dishes, "You made us lunch. We will do the clean-up. Go freshen up. Training was difficult today and you need it."

"B-But…" Hinata stammered.

"Go Hinata. Two grown men can handle this. You do not need to baby us." Sasuke told her as he pushed her gently to the direction of their room.

"O-Oh, okay. Thank you."

"Hn" Both Uchiha brothers responded.

Hinata giggled as she walked away to go take a shower.

Itachi began to place the dishes in the sink while Sasuke cleaned up the mess left on the table.

"Mind telling me why Hinata should not know about our other brother?" Itachi asked as he washed the dishes.

"She was the second woman." Sasuke told him as he wiped the table with a wet cloth.

A tense silence fell over the kitchen.

"Are you afraid that she would leave if she knew the truth?" Itachi asked carefully as he placed the clean dishes to dry.

Sasuke wiped the table a bit more forcefully, "No."

Itachi nodded his head, "Are you going to tell her?"

Sasuke sighed, he went to the sink to rinse and squeeze the rag. "Yes."

"When?" Itachi asked curiously.

"I don't know, but it has to be soon." Sasuke said as he placed the semi-dry rag by the sink. "I have been trying to tell her since the day I came back from the palace, but I never knew how to start."

Itachi smirked, "So it has nothing to do with the coronation of you being officially recognized as a knight in The Royal Court that is coming up in two weeks?"

Sasuke growled a bit, "That little fox is getting annoying. I need to shut it up."

Itachi chuckled, "If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't know what would be going on in your life." Itachi crossed his arms in front of his chest, "You do not talk much."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "It wasn't like you were a big talker either."

Itachi gave his brother a sad smile, "You start to change when you know time is running out." Itachi looked away from his brother to the floor, "You start to realize that words become more important."

Sasuke felt a lump in his throat form, he gripped the sink. "I-Itachi…"

Itachi ruffled Sasuke's hair gently, "Hey, do not worry yourself. The only words that should matter is when I tell you how much I love you."

Sasuke felt his grip on the sink lessen, he looked over at his brother, "I love you too Itachi."

Itachi smiled brightly, "Now those words are the most important thing to me."

Itachi leaned on the sink, his arms crossed in front of him, "Telling Hinata is only half the battle. What are you going to tell our brother?"

Sasuke looked down at the floor as he clenched his fists, he glared at his fists, "I need to tell him."

Itachi placed a comforting hand on Sasuke's shoulder, "I know Naruto, and he would never betray you Sasuke. He loves you like a brother and I know you love him too."

Sasuke moved out of his brothers grasp, "Yeah, but Naruto went 3-tails crazy over her leaving!" Sasuke growled, "W-What if he _**loves**_ her?"

Itachi gave Sasuke a calm look, "It does not matter if _**he**_ does. All that matters is if _**she**_ loves _**you**_."

Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, "She did tell me that she loves me."

Itachi gave his brother a smile, "Then what is the problem?"

Sasuke sighed, "What if she leaves me for Naruto?"

Itachi shook his head gently and walked over to Sasuke to wrap his arm around Sasuke's shoulder, "Do you have no faith in her words?"

Sasuke glared at his brother and scowled, "I have complete faith in her." Sasuke bit out angrily.

Itachi chuckled and squeezed his brother's shoulders, "Then why are you being difficult? You never cared about the consequences of honesty. You are a straight-forward man. What changed?"

Sasuke let his scowl drop and his glare to lessen, " _ **She**_ changed me."

Itachi lift his eyebrow in amusement, "I did not know women made you liars."

Sasuke clenched his fist, "She doesn't make me a liar. I-I am just afraid, okay! There! I said it! I am afraid!" Sasuke pulled away from Itachi again and walked to the other side of the kitchen.

Itachi smirked, "The Sasuke Uchiha is afraid of a woman?"

Sasuke growled but nodded anyway. "She has the power to destroy me and she doesn't even know it. I have never felt this way before. If she ever left, I do not know what I would do."

Itachi smiled sadly at his brother, "That is love, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked up at his brother solemnly, "How is this love? Isn't love empowering and motivational? You say that all the time."

Itachi smiled at his brother, "Love is power, Sasuke. It can make you stronger and it can also destroy you. The thing with love is that you trust the other person to never use the love you have for them in vain."

Sasuke looked at his brother skeptically, "I love you and the Dobe, why don't I feel like that with Hinata?"

Itachi gave him an amused smile, "You trust us both with your life, Sasuke. You trust us completely. The fact that have you been withholding important information from Hinata just proves that you do not trust her completely."

Sasuke opened his mouth to argue, but then he immediately closed it. Sasuke sighed, as always, his brother was correct. Sasuke looked up at his brother with a determined face, "You are right, Itachi. This pathetic drama will stop now."

Itachi smirked, "You look as if you are preparing for a battle."

Sasuke glared at his brother, "Shut up."

Itachi let out a yawn, "I think I will go take a nap. The sudden rescue from earlier tired me out." Itachi walked to the kitchen doorway that led to the living room, "Good luck with your affairs of the heart, little brother."

Sasuke stopped his glare and looked at his brother warily, "Are you sure you don't want me to bandage you up or something?"

Itachi shook his head gently, "No need. I just have some slight bruising, but nothing too major. A good night rest should fix it."

"It is still midday." Sasuke said amusedly

"Good night brother." Itachi told him as he walked out of the kitchen to the living room.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and walked to his room. If his brother was going to nap then he should too, but right after he talked with Hinata.

Sasuke stretched his back as he walked to his room. A resounding crack reached his ears and he relaxed. He opened the door to his room. He could hear the shower still running and he felt himself get excited. _My beautiful and very naked princess is just beyond that door._ Sasuke shook his head, there was no need to get in the mood when he knew he wouldn't be able to get any. Sasuke felt himself tense, he needed to keep a clear mind when he told her the truth. Sasuke sighed tiredly as he moved to his dresser to get into his sleepwear. He quickly changed and looked at his well-made bed. Sasuke smiled gently as he laid on his bed. He would never admit it out loud, but he appreciated Hinata's womanly touch that invaded his cottage ever since she came into his life.

She managed to keep his cottage in pristine shape, yet it retained that homey feeling to it. She brought out the warmth and light in everything she interacted with. Sasuke clenched his jaw, he did not want to lose Hinata over some petty drama. Sasuke shook his head softly, he _**trusts**_ Hinata to not hurt him. _**She loves him**_. Sasuke moved over a bit to pull up the covers from the bed. He moved underneath the covers and rested his head on the pillow. He would awaken as soon as she finished showering. His senses were always on guard and he knew that he would be able to sense her when she had finished cleaning up.

Sasuke let out a content sigh, he couldn't imagine a time without the clean bed covers and sheets. _Everything smells like her._ Hinata's scent clung to his senses as he snuggled more into his clean and warm bed. Sasuke did not notice when he fell asleep until he heard pans falling on the floor.

Sasuke immediately opened his eyes at the sound. His eyes were met with darkness and he quickly sat up trying to regain his senses of what happened. Sasuke rubbed his eyes tiredly with one of his hands. He was trying to fight the urge to fall back asleep. As he was rubbing his eyes, he heard a soft snore beside him. It then hit him that he felt an arm wrapped around his waist. He looked over to see his Hinata sleeping peacefully next to him. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and fall asleep again, but the urge to know what made the pans fall beat his want for her. He gently unwrapped her arm from his waist and got out of bed.

As he stood up from the bed, he was finally alert. Whoever made that noise could be a danger to Hinata or Itachi. He was not going to put his loved ones in danger.

Sasuke silently summoned his sword and strapped it behind his back. He then silently walked towards the kitchen. He could see a faint light coming from the kitchen doorway. Sasuke's back was pressed onto the wall next to the doorway. He knew that someone was in there. He could hear that person shuffling around. When the person got closer to the doorway, Sasuke leaped out and rushed the person. He quickly stopped his movements.

"Good morning sunshine." Itachi mumbled as his hand grasped Sasuke's throat gently.

Sasuke glared at his brother, "What the hell Itachi? I thought you were an intruder. I could feel you sleeping on the sofa. Why do you feel so different?"

Itachi let go of Sasuke's throat and sighed, "I am just a shadow clone. Your brother was too tired to get up, so he made a clone to make him dinner. As for my chakra being different, that has to do with the fact that Itachi-san is sick. His chakra is going wild and it is hard to control sometimes. Sometimes his shadow clones come out perfect, and other times you have me." The Itachi clone sighed as he moved away from Sasuke, "I do not have the similar chakra as your brother so that makes me an imperfect clone. I am more clumsy and gullible than Itachi-san. I apologize for waking you up with the pans. They slipped my fingers as I reached for them."

Sasuke sighed sadly, he hated to be reminded of his brother's condition. Sasuke shook his head to get rid of the thoughts. _For just this moment in time, I have my brother and that is all that matters._ Sasuke looked back at the clone, "Do you want any help?" The clone shook his head, "I may be just a clone, but even I know that your cooking is inadequate."

Sasuke glared at the clone, "I can do fine."

The Itachi clone smirked, "I have no doubt you can, but Itachi-san has requested a finer dish than just rice. Thank you for the offer, but it is not needed. You may go back to rest."

Sasuke gave the Itachi clone another glare before walking back to his room. He closed the door quietly and dismissed his sword. He carefully slid under the covers next to Hinata. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. _The talk must wait until tomorrow._ She wrapped an arm around his waist and she snuggled her head into his neck. Sasuke turned his head to the side to give her a kiss on the forehead. Through the darkness he could see her smile at his gesture. Sasuke moved around a bit to get comfortable. He fell back asleep instantly, his body tired of the training regime that he had been enduring for the past three days.

Sasuke awoke to the birds chirping from the opened window. He slightly opened his eyes at the bright room. He then slowly sat up and yawned. He then looked at the vacant spot next to him and frowned. _What is with me? Why can I not feel Hinata when she moves around me? I should have been able to sense her when she came out of the shower; and I should have also been able to sense her when she left this morning._

Sasuke scratched his head and rolled his sore shoulders, maybe he was just too tired to care. He frowned at this idea, was he losing his touch? Him being tired never intrude with his senses before. He felt a twinge of worry, maybe his senses were fading. Was it because he was getting old? Sasuke frowned deeply, _Fuck that, I am not old. I am in perfect shape. Nevertheless, I will ask Itachi for some help._

Sasuke got out of bed and moved to his dresser to get some clothes. He smirked as he opened one drawer. In the pile next to his underwear were her panties. He reached out to touch them softly and felt his smirk widen. He could not wait until he was able to slide them off her creamy legs. Sasuke quickly shook his head and shut the drawer. He quickly showered and went toward the kitchen.

From the doorway he could hear Itachi and Hinata talking about the training that they would do once he left. Sasuke smiled, his cottage had never felt this alive before. He silently entered the kitchen and was greeted by "Good mornings."

"Good morning." He replied as he went to go grab a cup of water. He saw that Hinata was giving him side glances and whenever he caught her eye she would look away blushing. Sasuke raised an amused eyebrow at her behavior. He wondered what got her so riled up. He moved his cup under the faucet unbeknown to him that Hinata was also reaching to the faucet. When their arms touched, Hinata squeaked and dropped the glass bowl she was holding to the floor. "I-I am s-so s-sorry." Hinata stuttered out loud. She shakily went to pick up the broken glass on the floor. Sasuke gave her a weird look. _What is wrong with her?_ Sasuke moved his eyes to Itachi and connected his eyes with his brother. Silently, he asked his brother what was going on with Hinata. His brother just shrugged his shoulders and Sasuke frowned. Sasuke looked down at the trembling Hinata that was picking up the glass. He mentally sighed, if she did not stop trembling she would cut herself with the glass she was picking up.

Sasuke placed a hand on her shoulder, "Hina-…"

Hinata eeped and scrambled away from his hand. Her face red and panicked.

Sasuke frowned at her reaction.

"I forgot that I left some of my weapons outside yesterday. I will go fetch them." Itachi told them as he stood up from the table. Itachi slowly made his way out of the kitchen, he did not want to get in the middle of a domestic dispute.

Sasuke continued to frown at Hinata as his brother left. Hinata still refused to look at him in the eye and it was starting to piss him off.

"Mind telling me why you can't look at me?" Sasuke asked her roughly.

He could see Hinata blush deeper as she was playing with her hands. "S-S-Sasu-k-kun, I-I…"

Sasuke growled, "You haven't stuttered in a long time. What changed?"

Hinata whimpered at his strong tone and looked down at her lap.

Sasuke sighed tiredly, he slowly walked to her and bent down to look at her face. "Hinata, what happened? You can tell me. Trust me." He softly told her.

Hinata whipped her head to him, her face still red but her eyes were wide, "Y-You d-don't r-remember?" She mumbled out.

Sasuke gave her a confused look, "What do you mean?"

Hinata gasped, "D-Do y-you n-not k-know w-what h-happened a-after I-I g-got o-out of t-the s-shower o-or t-this m-morning?"

Sasuke stood up and frowned as he looked at one of the kitchen cupboards, _What the hell is she talking about? I didn't do anything after she showered or this morning. I was asleep. I didn't even notice she came into the room or when she left it._

Sasuke looked back at Hinata with a worried look, "Hinata, I do not know what you are talking about. I was asleep the whole time. I didn't even notice when you came into the room or when you left." Sasuke bent down again to look at her face, "What happened?"

Hinata eeped again and looked down, "I-It's n-nothing."

Sasuke frowned, "It has to be something if it has you this startled."

Sasuke tensed, "D-Did I hurt you?" Sasuke wanted to punch himself. Maybe his senses were not getting weak. They were strong, and maybe he fought Hinata. Sasuke mentally frowned, if that was the case then why did he wake up in the middle of the night to find Hinata wrapped around him? _What the hell is going on?_

Hinata shook her head and Sasuke looked back down to her, "Y-You d-did not hurt me S-Sasu-kun."

Sasuke felt some of the tension leave him, "Then what is it?"

Hinata flinched and her blush deepened, "Uh, y-you were _very affectionate_."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Okay? That still doesn't explain why you are acting this way."

Hinata shyly looked up to him, "You were _very affectionate,_ Sasu-kun."

Sasuke frowned at her explanation, "I don't under-…" Sasuke quickly stood upright and his mouth was slightly open in shock, _Wait! Those dreams that I had_ _ **weren't dreams**_ _?_ Sasuke quickly walked away from Hinata. He shakily ran his hand through his hair as he took calming breaths. Sasuke felt embarrassed and ashamed. In his dreams he did **a lot** of things to Hinata.

"Sasu-kun…?"

Sasuke took a shaky breath, "Y-Yeah?"

"Um, i-it's o-okay…"

Sasuke whipped his head towards her, a frown on his face "Hinata, I **sexually assaulted** you! H-How is that 'okay'?!" Sasuke felt his anger boiling and his chakra was starting to flare up. He could hear the crackling of his chakra. _I need to go blow some of this excess energy._

Sasuke made his way to the doorway leading to the living room, he was stopped by a gentle hand on his arm. Her touch sent a shiver down his spine. He looked behind to see Hinata. Her white and lavender eyes pleading him. "Sasu-kun, do not get angry please." Hinata begged him.

Sasuke glared into her eyes, " **I. Hurt. You.** "

Hinata shook her head, "Y-You didn't. Y-You kept asking me i-if I was o-okay with it. I a-agreed to it."

Sasuke gave her a skeptical look, in his dreams he remembered asking her multiple times and he would receive a nod and a dazzling smile. Sasuke growled and looked away from her, _I don't even know what reality is anymore._

Sasuke continued to walk through the doorway. Hinata had not let go of Sasuke's arm so she was following him. "Please Sasu-kun."

Sasuke shook his head, "No."

Sasuke slid his arm out of her grasp and walked toward the exit of the cottage. He needed to punish himself for putting Hinata in this situation.

Hinata continued to scramble behind him, begging Sasuke to listen to her.

They made their way to Sasuke's training area. "Hinata, leave. I am not in control of my emotions. Leave or you will get hurt."

Hinata stomped her foot down childishly, "No."

Sasuke growled at her, "Hinata…" He threatened.

Hinata raised her head in defiance, "No, I am not leaving."

Sasuke's frown deepened and he rushed to Hinata. Hinata gasped as Sasuke had her wrapped in his arms. Hinata growled in frustration and pounded her arms against his chest. "Sasuke! Let me go!"

"No."

Hinata continued to pound on Sasuke's chest, but she knew that her punches were not doing anything to him. "Sasuke, please listen…"

"I said no."

Hinata felt herself being laid down on the cottage bed in his room. "Stay here." Sasuke told her authoritatively.

Hinata frowned, "No."

Sasuke glared at the woman, "Hina-…"

"I LIKED IT!" She screamed at him. Sasuke's mouth stayed open at her declaration. He looked at the angry and blushing woman. Hinata stood up from the bed and she slowly made her way to where he was standing, "I-I did m-more than l-like it. I-I l-loved it." Hinata had reached Sasuke and jumped into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

In just a couple of seconds, the burning hatred in him was drenched with her words. He mindlessly wrapped his arms around her. He rested his head on hers. He placed a soft kiss on her head and he squeezed her a bit, "Hinata, I am sorry. I didn't know that I was doing those things. I thought I was dreaming." He mumbled into her hair.

Hinata snuggled her face into his chest, "I loved every second of it. There is no need to apologize."

Sasuke felt his breathing calm down, he kissed her head again, "So does that mean I can do it again?"

He felt Hinata stiffen in his arms and he was about to chuckle until he felt her nod her head softly. Sasuke separated himself a bit from her to look down at her blushing and smiling face. His eyes darkened as he focused on the things he did to her in his dreams. Sasuke let out a growl, "How about now, Princess?"

Hinata could feel her cheeks burn, but she nodded anyway. She loved the way he could make her feel with his hands and mouth.

Sasuke chuckled and quickly threw her on the bed. Hinata did not have enough time to gasp because he reappeared on top of her and his lips were on hers. She moaned at the passionate kiss as she wrapped her arms around him.

After their morning rendezvous and breakfast, Sasuke, Itachi, and Hinata decided to go into town for some supplies. Sasuke had mentioned that he needed to go to a supply shop for some weapons. Since Itachi and Hinata were not knights, they were unable to accompany him.

Itachi and Hinata strolled through the town window shopping. Itachi was munching on some dango, while Hinata munched on a warm cinnamon bun that Sasuke bought her before he left. "Ooh look at that Itachi-kun. Wouldn't that look good for the room?" Hinata said as she pointed at a window display. Itachi looked over and smirked, "I wonder what Sasuke would say." Hinata blushed and quickly walked away from the window display. Itachi chuckled and walked quickly to catch up to her. "I already told you Hinata. The decoration is all up to you." Hinata gave him a bright smile, "But you will also help with the decoration. There needs to be a little bit of Itachi everywhere you look when you enter the room." Hinata told him.

Itachi rolled his eyes, "I am building the room. That has to count for something."

Hinata giggled. She then looked at the giant fountain that stood in center of the town. A young couple were sitting on the fountain ledge. They were holding hands and smiling at each other. Hinata smiled fondly at the sight, and she could remember all the times when her and Sasuke would look at each other completely lost in each other's stare. She let out a content sigh. She then looked up at Itachi. "Itachi-kun?"

Itachi looked up from his dango eating and looked at Hinata with an eyebrow raised, beckoning her to continue. Hinata giggled at Itachi. He had dango stuck on his face and he looked like a child. _Sasuke was right, he does love dango._

"Have you ever been in-love?" She asked, her eyes shining.

Itachi quickly tensed at her question, he separated his eyes from hers and looked over to the fountain. "No."

He heard Hinata giggle again. "Itachi-kun, I did not know you were a liar."

Itachi rolled his eyes and put another piece of dango in his mouth to not reply.

"Who is she?"

Itachi did not respond as he chewed on his dango. He could feel a tick-mark forming on his forehead.

"Is she from another kingdom?"

Itachi huffed as he chewed.

Hinata hummed in thought, "Is she from this kingdom?" She could see that Itachi tensed at her words. Hinata clapped happily. "Where does she live?" Itachi then glared at Hinata, "Drop it Hinata. We are not continuing this conversation." Itachi continued to walk forwards. Hinata pouted at his dismissive attitude. Half of her did not want to push Itachi into telling her who the mysterious love interest was. She already knew that Itachi was getting weaker every day. He would not live long enough to get married or have kids. The other half of her, wanted Itachi to experience what her and Sasuke had. She wanted Itachi to feel loved and she wanted him to love back. The one side that believed in love was winning. "Itachi-kun, everyone deserves to be loved and to love."

Itachi rolled his eyes, "I have my family."

Hinata puffed out her cheeks, "You know what I mean, Itachi-kun. Who is she?"

Itachi gave her a stern glare as he bit into another piece of dango.

"Does she live in this town?" Hinata asked innocently.

Itachi then started to choke on his piece of dango. Hinata jumped up in concern and started patting his back. Itachi continued to try to get the piece of dango from his throat. One of Hinata's powerful hits made him spit the piece of dango on the floor. Itachi started to breathe roughly through his mouth trying to get enough oxygen in his lungs.

"Oh my! She does live here! Who is she Itachi-kun? We must find her!" Hinata told him excitedly.

Itachi glared at the happy woman, "Stop. You will never know who she is."

Hinata gave him a smug look with a hint of defiance, "I bet I can find her."

Itachi's glare hardened, "You wouldn't dare. You will never find…"

"ITACHI! IS THAT YOU?!" A loud woman's yell flooded the small-town square.

Hinata saw Itachi freeze and his cheeks started to redden. Hinata's smile widened and she looked around trying to find the woman. Hinata saw this tall brown-haired woman walking towards them. Her arms were waving as she tried to catch their attention. From the corner of her eyes, she could see Itachi start to hyperventilate. Hinata almost felt bad for pressuring Itachi into this situation, but her mind quickly left the subject as the smiling woman approached them. "Itachi, you never told me you were back in town. What gives? Don't you miss your dear friend?" The woman taunted.

Hinata could see Itachi's blush intensify, yet Itachi stood frozen. To appease her guilt, Hinata decided that she should intervene. "Hello, my name is Hinata. Who are you?" Hinata told the smiling woman softly as she extended her hand to shake hers.

The woman looked at Hinata and her smile faltered a bit, "My name is Ayame. Nice to meet you." Ayame shook Hinata's hand gently.

"I am sorry for intruding your guys' outing, I will just be going…" Ayame started to say.

Hinata shook her head, "Oh no, you are not interrupting one-bit, right Itachi-kun?" Hinata asked.

Itachi stood frozen, not replying. Hinata frowned at his lack of reaction.

"'Itachi-kun'? Y-You guys must be close to use that, huh?" Ayame mumbled out sadly as she looked at Hinata and Itachi.

Hinata smiled brightly, "Of course! I am his future sister-in-law. He is practically my older brother."

Ayame's face looked at Hinata in shock, "Future sister-in-law? A-Are you with…?"

Hinata quickly nodded, "Yes, Sasuke-kun and I are together." Hinata blushed at her words. This was the first time she had said that out loud to someone else.

Ayame's face brightened, "So, how is he?"

Hinata smiled brightly at seeing Ayame happy again. Hinata already knew enough to know that she liked Itachi. "He is doing well. Right now, he is getting some weapons for his knightly duties and such."

Ayame nodded her head, "Oh right, I heard he was becoming a knight. The whole town has been in an uproar over the fact that there will be a royal coronation for him when he is officially recognized as a knight. It will be a huge party and the whole kingdom is invited. Knowing how close the King and Sasuke are, the King most likely threw a huge party just to piss off Sasuke." Ayame started to laugh.

Hinata looked at her confusedly, _I didn't know Sasuke was close to Naruto. I also didn't know there was going to be a party. Why didn't Sasuke tell me anything?_

Hinata was going to ask more on the subject, but Ayame continued talking. "I know the party is in two weeks, but I feel as if I have been waiting until the last minute to get myself a dress." Ayame chuckled at herself. Ayame then looked at Hinata, "Since you will be accompanying Sasuke, I bet you already had your dress for weeks, huh?" Hinata was about to respond until Itachi interrupted, "That was supposed to be a surprise Ayame." Ayame's eyes widened and she bowed her head to Hinata, "Oh my! Hinata, I am so sorry. I did not know." Hinata's eyes softened and she smiled at the woman, "Please do not worry yourself. There was no harm done. I will act surprised when Sasu-kun tells me in person." Hinata giggled out.

Ayame lifted her head up and smiled at the soft-spoken girl and then she turned her head to Itachi. His eyes connected with hers and she blushed at his intense stare. She wanted to talk to him, but Hinata continued to speak. "Ayame-san, if you are not busy tonight. We have come to town for some food supplies. It would be an honor to have you over for dinner." Ayame looked at Hinata and smiled brightly, "I would love to go. Luckily, I don't have work today. At what time is dinner?" Hinata smiled and tapped her chin in thought, "Sasu-kun's cottage is in the woods. It would be more appropriate to meet you in town. How about half past sun down we will meet you by this fountain?" Ayame nodded, "Sure, sounds like a date. Anyway, I need to go get some supplies quickly before I head back home. I will meet you here later." Ayame said the last part as she looked at Itachi and Itachi blushed.

"Bye Hinata-san and bye Itachi!" Ayame yelled at them as she walked away.

Hinata could see Itachi relax after Ayame left. "I got you a date." She told him.

"No, it isn't." Itachi countered.

Hinata pinched Itachi and Itachi rolled his eyes. "Listen here, Mr., we will meet Ayame here at the fountain. Then Sasuke and I will decide that we have some unfinished plans in town and we will meet you guys back at the cottage. You will then take Ayame back to the cottage and feed her the dinner we will prepare. You will both eat and talk all night like a real date."

Itachi gave her skeptical look, "It won't be much of a date if you and Sasuke are there."

Hinata smiled smugly, "Sasu-kun and I won't show up."

Itachi widened his eyes, he was about to respond but another voice beat him to it.

"Where won't we be going?" Sasuke asked from behind them.

"Itachi-kun is in love!" Hinata exclaimed as she turned around to look at Sasuke.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, and Itachi cringed at the look he imagined Sasuke having.

" _He is_?" Sasuke asked teasingly. Itachi bit his tongue to try to calm down.

Hinata nodded, "Yes he is. I invited her over for dinner. You and I won't show up, therefore making Itachi go on a date."

Sasuke then laughed hysterically. Itachi ground his teeth together. This was not funny, and his little brother should not be laughing at him.

"Sasu-kun, do not laugh at your brother. That is very rude." Hinata told his brother disapprovingly. _Thank you, Hinata_. Itachi mentally thanked her.

"I have been trying for _**years**_ to get them together. You only met her today and you did the impossible." Sasuke continued to laugh.

Itachi heard Hinata giggle, _Kill me now, please._

"Okay then this settles it. We must rush to the market to gather the appropriate ingredients for dinner." Hinata said as she walked to where the market was located at in the town. Both Sasuke and Itachi followed behind her. She was listing off the ingredients she would need and the type of dishes she could make. The two brothers were only half listening.

Sasuke elbowed his brother playfully, "So, excited for your date?" Itachi glared at his brother, "Sasuke…" He threatened. Sasuke smirked broadly, "I only have one rule. Do not have sex in my bed." Itachi's glare hardened and then he smirked slightly, in a low whisper that made sure only Sasuke could hear he said, "Hinata knows about the party and Naruto." Sasuke tripped on one of the stones from the road and he gave a shocked look at his brother. Itachi's smirk widened, and he quickly moved to Hinata. "Ayame likes beef, maybe we can do something with that." Hinata smiled at Itachi's brightened mood over the unplanned date. Her and Itachi continued to talk about the various food they could make. Sasuke still trailed behind them. He was nervous and shocked. _Why hasn't Hinata said anything yet?_ Sasuke mentally punched himself, _I am screwed._

* * *

The sun had started to set, and Sasuke was fidgeting in his seat in the kitchen as he saw Hinata cooking. She had her hair wrapped up in a towel and she was dressed in her bathrobe. Normally, he would have sat back and enjoyed the view of her white creamy legs that were usually hidden from him, but he was anxious. _She knows!_ And she still refused to acknowledge it. Sasuke swallowed thickly at the thought that he needed to be the one to come out and say it. Sasuke took some calming breaths, and he was about to broach the subject, but Itachi came into the kitchen. "Does this look okay?" Itachi asked. He was wearing a black long-sleeve button cotton shirt with gray pants. Sasuke nodded his head in approval, his brother did look good. Hinata smiled brightly, "Ayame will find you irresistible! Now, the pot is going to continue to boil to keep the food warm. Once you arrive back Itachi, turn off the flame or it will overcook." Itachi nodded his head. "I will quickly get ready and then we may leave." Hinata rushed out as she walked away in a hurry.

Sasuke continued to stare at her as she left. As soon as she left, he let out a tired sigh. He let his head fall on the table. He heard Itachi chuckle, "How are you feeling, little brother?"

Sasuke looked up from the table and glared at his brother, "Tell me what she knows."

Itachi smirked, "I already did."

Sasuke closed his eyes and continued to lay his head on the table. Both brothers were silent as they awaited the anxious confrontations with their respective women.

Hinata did not take long to return to the kitchen, and she smiled brightly at the two brothers. "Let us go fetch Ayame-san!"

They quickly made their way to the middle of town where the fountain stood. The middle of town was illuminated by the various torches that surrounded the perimeter. Sitting on the fountain ledge was Ayame. Itachi gulped, why did she have to look like _that_? She had let her brown hair fall from her usual bun and she had a simple red gown on. Itachi loved red, if he would have guessed she wore that color on purpose. _Maybe this date won't turn out horrible._ Itachi thought.

"Ayame-san, I am very happy that you were able to make it. You look beautiful." Hinata said as they approached.

Ayame blushed slightly and gave Hinata a big smile, "Eh Hinata, you are so kind. You look beautiful as well. Thank you."

Ayame then turned her head to look over at Sasuke, "How are you doing, Sasuke?"

Sasuke nodded slightly, "I am doing well, Ayame."

Ayame smiled at his response and then she looked over to Itachi. Ayame's smile brightened, "Well, don't you look handsome? Did you clean up just for me Itachi- _kun_?" She taunted.

Itachi blushed slightly, but continued to look her in the eyes, "It is just formalities."

Ayame gave him a knowing look, "Formalities, huh?"

Itachi mentally cringed at his poor excuse.

Hinata sensing Itachi's embarrassment decided to intervene, "Ayame-san, Itachi-kun will be taking you back to the cottage for dinner. I forgot that Sasuke-kun and I need to do some last-minute shopping. I hope that is not a problem." Hinata told the other woman softly.

Ayame smiled at Hinata, "That sounds fine with me." Ayame then leaned into Hinata to 'whisper' into her ear, "Are you sure Itachi can handle me by himself?" Hinata felt a smile tug on her lips and a chuckle wanted to escape her lips.

Itachi could perfectly hear what she told Hinata and he felt his fists clench. He felt a burning sensation envelop him. _I am perfectly capable of handling her!_ Itachi felt his pride flare up at the challenge Ayame proposed. Before Hinata could respond, Itachi had taken hold of Ayame's arm, and gently pulled her to his side. Ayame eeped and blushed at the sudden contact. She looked up to see Itachi's determined face. He felt Ayame look at him and he looked down to connect her eyes with his. Ayame felt her blush deepened. They had never been this close to each other before. "I will take _good_ care of you, Ayame- _chan_." Ayame felt her pulse quicken and she absentmindedly nodded.

Hinata beamed at the new couple, she then hooked her arm around Sasuke's. "We will see you back at the cottage! Don't let our absence dampen the fun!" Hinata then started leading Sasuke to the other side of the town.

Itachi and Ayame were both too lost in each other to even notice the other two's departure. Ayame licked her lips as she continued to look up at Itachi, "Shall we go?" She whispered. Itachi's focus lingered on her lips, "Yes." Itachi looked away from Ayame and gently led her back to the cottage.

Hinata and Sasuke were standing behind the fountain looking at the retreating couple. "They look so cute!" Hinata gushed out, one of her arms was raised to her chest. She had a gentle smile on her face. Sasuke did not really care about his brother and date. That was his brother's business. As Hinata stood watching his brother's new relationship forming, he continued to look at Hinata. A smile formed on his lips, she was beautiful to him in every way. "Hinata?" He asked her to get her attention. She quickly turned to look at him. Her white and lavender eyes looking into his dark obsidian eyes. "What is it Sasu-kun?" She softly asked him.

"I need to tell you something. It has to do with the King of Fire." Sasuke told her slowly.

Hinata nodded and silently urged him to continue.

"I know that you were engaged to him."

Hinata gasped, "Sasuke-kun, I can explain…"

Sasuke shook his head, "I already know what happened and I am not worried." Sasuke moved towards Hinata and he cupped her cheek softly, "I know you love me." Hinata's eyes shined as she looked up at him and she quickly nodded, "I do Sasuke-kun. I love you very much." Sasuke smiled down at her and gave her a small peck on the lips, "I love you too Hinata. That is why I need to tell you that the King is my cousin." Hinata gasped, "C-Cousin?" Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, we are cousins but Itachi and I both think of him as a brother."

Hinata looked away from Sasuke's eyes and looked at his chest, "H-How did you find out about my engagement to King Naruto?"

Sasuke moved away from Hinata to lean on the fountain ledge, "Do you remember the day after you met Itachi I left for a mission for a week?"

Hinata quickly nodded, she remembered how worried and alone she felt when he was gone. _Thank Kami, that Itachi came to help_.

"I was not on a mission. I was in a hospital recuperating from a fight I had with Naruto."

Hinata gasped, "A-A f-fight? B-But you said that King Naruto was your b-brother?"

Sasuke nodded, "He is. You have already heard that he is the keeper of the demon of the nine tails. He had lost control the day I left. I was called to calm him down. I eventually managed to restrain him, but my body took a beating."

Hinata gave him a sad smile and she gently moved next to him. She sat down on the fountain ledged and placed her hand on top of his, "I knew that something was wrong when you were gone. Even though, Itachi-kun said otherwise my heart wouldn't believe him."

Sasuke squeezed Hinata's hand, "The wounds have already healed. No need for you to worry, Princess."

"Why did King Naruto lose control?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke felt his heart throb, his body felt cold. This was what he dreaded to say to her. _What if she found out that he lost control because of her? Would she leave me?_ Sasuke's thoughts were stopped when Hinata started placing small kisses on his hand. Sasuke felt himself blush as he saw her kiss his hand. Her soft kisses leaving small shocks everywhere her lips touched his skin. She then cuddled his hand to her cheek, "Your hand is so warm, Sasu-kun." She mumbled out to him. Sasuke felt his pulse race. _How could I ever think that Hinata would hurt me by leaving me? She already told me that she loved me. She lets me hold her and kiss her. She lets me please her body in bed. She agreed to_ _ **marry me**_ _. Sorry Naruto, you had your chance. I am not letting her go now._

"He let loose his control because he was furious when he found out that you left." Sasuke told her slowly. He was intently watching her face to see her reaction.

Hinata stopped cuddling his hand, her eyes were wide, yet she never let go of his hand. Her head tilted slightly to the side, and a small frown was on her lips. "Why would he get mad over that? H-He told me that I needed to leave since he was going to marry Princess Karin?"

Sasuke frowned at the new information he received. He took his eyes away from Hinata. _The Dobe told her to leave? Then why did he get mad? From the way he told me, it appears he did not know she left. Maybe he assumed that she did not have the nerve to leave?_ Sasuke mentally growled. _That is sadistic. Did the dobe find it entertaining to lead Hinata on?_ Sasuke blinked, he had no clue over the relationship between Hinata and Naruto. Sasuke felt the burning jealousy ring in his ears. He clenched his other hand that was not being held by Hinata.

Sasuke intently looked at the floor, "What was your relationship with the idiot?"

"Eh? Who is that?" Hinata asked.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "The King."

Hinata looked at Sasuke with a small smile, "You call him an idiot?"

Sasuke looked up at Hinata's face and smirked, "Isn't he?"

Hinata giggled. "That is rude Sasu-kun. He is the King of Fire."

Sasuke shrugged, "He can have as many titles as he wants. He is still an idiot."

Hinata giggled, she then looked away from Sasuke. She slowly let go of his hand that she was holding. Her hand raised to her chest, "King Naruto and I were engaged to be married." Hinata gave Sasuke a side glance before continuing, "I-I l-loved him."

Sasuke felt the sudden coldness envelop his body, he clenched his fists. He thought he would have felt a sudden flare of his chakra, but his chakra seemed to do the opposite. It felt as if it was receding into his body. He was left cold. Sasuke looked at Hinata's bowed head, "I-I thought he felt the same. T-Things were going well until Princess Karin came. King Naruto then ignored me. H-He abandoned me for two months." Sasuke heard the anger in her voice and he saw how she clenched her fists. "He had given me our engagement rings and told me that he loved me on the same day he left with Princess Karin. He betrayed me and broke his promises." Hinata suddenly looked up to him, "I do not love him. My love for him died the moment I left the palace." Hinata then laughed, "The day I left the palace was also the day I met you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke pulled her towards him and kissed her fully on the lips. He wanted to prove to Hinata that he would never leave her and that she only belonged to him. The need for air made them separate. He rested his head on her chest, "I love you Hinata." He whispered to her softly. Hinata hummed happily, "I love you Sasuke-kun." Sasuke held her in a tight embrace, "Never leave me." He told her. Hinata giggled at Sasuke's possessiveness, "I would never leave unless you tell me to." Sasuke cuddled his head in her chest, "I would never tell you that." Hinata smiled and softly combed through his hair, "Then I assume I will be here forever with you." Sasuke smiled and squeezed her, "I wouldn't want it any other way."

After a couple of moments of them holding each other, Sasuke looked up to Hinata. "Hinata, will you do me the honor of accompanying me to The Royal Court coronation held in my honor as an official Royal Knight?"

Hinata gasped, she needed to pretend to be surprised for Ayame. "A coronation? I would love to, Sasu-kun." Hinata leaned down to kiss him. Hinata wrapped her arms around his neck as he squeezed her closer to him.

* * *

As they reached the cottage, Itachi had begun to lose the flare of confidence he had. He led them inside the cottage into the kitchen.

"Whatever is cooking it smells good." Ayame said as she walked to the table situated in the kitchen.

Itachi nodded silently and walked over to the boiling pot and with his chakra he dismissed the burning fire with a simple hand gesture. "I always forget how you can do magic." Ayame told him. Itachi looked up to her, "I already told you it is not magic. It is chakra." Ayame giggled, "Calling it magic is cooler though." Itachi rolled his eyes at her childish behavior. He then quickly started to get the food plated. "So, is this our first date?" Ayame asked.

Itachi stiffened.

Ayame giggled at Itachi's stiff posture, "Give me some credit Itachi. I am not dumb. What are the chances that _both_ Hinata and Sasuke are not here?" Ayame slowly walked towards to Itachi. Itachi turned his head to look at her, his face was slightly red. Ayame leaned on the counter next to where Itachi was standing. "There are only two chairs at the table." Ayame winked at him. Itachi could feel his blush spreading. "Just tell me what you want Itachi." Ayame whispered to him. Her eyes twinkling with mirth and want. Itachi clutched onto the plates he was holding. If he was not careful he would break them. Ayame sensing Itachi's nervousness, reached out to take the plates from his hands before he broke them and got hurt. When she touched his hands, Itachi's resolve broke. He grabbed Ayame and pulled her closer. The plates fell loudly on the floor and broke. The two individuals did not notice the mess. Itachi had Ayame pressed into him, "I want _**you**_." Itachi leaned down and kissed her lips vigorously. Ayame hummed happily and wrapped her arms around his neck. Ayame was the first to separate from the passionate kiss. She gave Itachi a dazzling smile, " _ **Finally**_." Ayame then started to press her lips on every inch of his exposed skin on his face. Itachi smiled happily, his eyes watching her every movement. It wasn't until he felt Ayame tugging on his pants did he regain his senses. Itachi put his hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, "Stop. We can't."

Ayame gave him an annoyed look, "Why not? From what I felt, you were excited."

Itachi blushed at her true words, "That's not what I mean."

Ayame clicked her tongue, "Then what is it?"

Itachi let out a long sigh, "Ayame, I don't want to hurt you."

Ayame frowned, "I thought you loved me?"

Itachi widened his eyes, "I-I…"

Ayame shrugged off his hands from his shoulders, her face expressed her inner pain. "I-I am s-sorry Itachi. I thought…" Ayame shook her head and looked away from him, "Never mind, I-I don't feel too good. I-I think I should go home and…"

Itachi did not let her finish because his lips were on hers. Ayame quickly responded back with equal strength.

Itachi separated himself from the kiss, "Ayame, I do love you. I-I just didn't think you knew."

Ayame laughed a bit, "Itachi, you aren't a very good liar."

Itachi rolled his eyes, he already had many people telling him that.

Ayame cupped his cheek with her hand, "So what's the problem Itachi? You love me, and I love you. Do you not want me?"

Itachi pulled her in for another scorching kiss. They separated again. "I do want you." Itachi replied huskily. Itachi let his hand travel down Ayame's back, "I want _**all**_ of you."

Ayame shivered at Itachi's touch and words, "Then _**show me**_." She replied breathlessly as she kissed his neck softly.

Itachi growled and pulled completely away from her. He turned away from her, "I can't Ayame." Itachi let out an aggravated sigh, "I knew this was a mistake. Ayame I think it is time for you to leave. I will escort you back home. I think it would be best for us to not keep in touch."

Ayame let out a small growl, she pulled Itachi and turned him to face her. Her face was angry. "Itachi! You cannot do this! We are finally getting somewhere, and I will not let your pride get in the way." Ayame felt tears prick her eyes, "You may be a prince, Itachi, and I am just a simple town girl; but that does not mean that we can't be together. Please let me show you that we can be great together. I am sorry that I am not someone who has a title or a lot of money, but I love you Itachi! That has to count for something!"

Itachi forcefully took her hands from him and glared at Ayame, "My social position was never the reason for our undeveloped relationship."

Ayame glared back at Itachi, "Then what is it? We love each other, why can't we be together?"

Itachi glared back, "Drop it Ayame. In time, you will understand. Just grab your stuff and I will take…"

"No! You don't get to walk away again! I will not let you!"

Itachi's glare softened, "Ayame, please…"

"No!" Ayame yelled back. Her breathing was haggard, and the tears had started flowing down her cheeks, "The only reason I would leave would be if you told me you didn't love me."

Itachi clenched his fists, he could feel his eyes water. "I don't love you. I never did. And tonight, proves it. You were never…"

Ayame slapped Itachi across his face. Itachi was left speechless. "You are a lying bastard." Ayame growled out. Her lips were suddenly on his. Their lips moved hurriedly. She tugged on the buttons of his shirt making his shirt come undone. Itachi let his hand slip behind her and he started to unzip her dress slowly. Ayame separated her lips from his and started to kiss down his bare chest. Itachi's thoughts of protest were slowly decreasing in volume in his head. "I love you Itachi. I want to be with you forever."

Her declaration made his body freeze. The voices of protest rung through his head louder than ever. He staggered away from her and he fell to his knees. He was clutching his hair with his hands. _We can't be together forever._

"Itachi?" Ayame silently spoke to him.

Itachi did not reply, his sobs invaded the silence. He slowly rocked his body. _Why does this have to happen to me? I was arguably one of the strongest men in the world. Why do I have to die? I gave my life to the kingdom and to the people I love. Why can I not_ _ **live**_ _? What did I do wrong? Why can't I be with Ayame? Why me?_ Itachi continued to cry out. He had not felt this lost since he found out what was going on with him 5 years ago.

Ayame knelt beside Itachi, she laid a comforting hand on Itachi's shoulder. "Itachi?" She asked solemnly. She had never seen Itachi this _broken_ before and it _broke_ her heart to see him in this much pain.

"I-I'm dying." Itachi said in between his sobs.

Ayame blinked at his confession, and she felt as if her heart had stopped beating. _Itachi dying? T-That's impossible._ But as she looked at Itachi she knew that it was the truth. Ayame tightened her hold on Itachi. _Was this the reason why we couldn't be together?_ Ayame felt her inner resolve grow. Her first true love was dying, and she would be damned if she did not take up this opportunity. Ayame jumped onto Itachi, successfully pining him to the kitchen floor. Itachi looked up at her with tear-filled eyes. "Ayame…" Ayame kissed him. Itachi kissed her slowly. He was confused of what was going on. He felt her tug on his pants and he began to panic. He was starting to struggle against her, but she separated her lips from his and bent down her head to his ear, "Let me love you." Itachi's struggles seized as her words entered his mind. "But I'm dying." Itachi reminded her. Ayame smirked down to him, "You aren't dead yet."

Itachi chuckled at her response, he smiled up at her "Let me help you with your dress."

Ayame smiled back down to him, "What a gentleman."

* * *

"Sasu-kun, you did not need to spend so much money on me." Hinata told Sasuke as they walked hand in hand through the town. The night life of the town was bubbling around them giving them the perfect opportunity to do some last-minute shopping. "Hinata, I saw you eyeing the dress from the window and you need a dress for the coronation. I was not going to let an opportunity like that slip away." Hinata pouted, "But that dress was expensive. There were cheaper ones that looked just as well." Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Hinata, trust me. Money is no issue to me." Hinata huffed, "But Sasu-kun…" Sasuke connected his eyes to Hinata's, "Let me spoil you Hinata." Hinata blushed at Sasuke's word, "I do not need to be spoiled, Sasuke-kun." "I know, but I want to." Hinata sighed, "Would that make you happy?" Sasuke smiled a bit, "Yes." He squeezed her hand. Hinata giggled, "Fine." Sasuke smirked at her and pulled her closer to his side as they walked.

"Sasu-kun, do you think Itachi-kun might be mad at me for the impromptu date I pushed him into?" Hinata asked him worriedly.

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Hinata, you did him a favor."

Hinata bit her lip, "But what if Itachi-kun is mad?"

Sasuke gave her a skeptical look, "Itachi is the most easy-going person I know. Trust me, he rarely gets mad."

Hinata gave him a skeptical look. Sasuke let out a sigh, "Okay, when he gets mad it is pretty scary. But you are practically his little sister. You could try to kill him, and he still wouldn't get mad."

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "It's the truth Hinata."

Hinata gave him another worried look, "Do you think we should go check on them?"

Sasuke chuckled, "Yeah, I don't think that would be a good idea. We wouldn't want to interrupt their time together."

Hinata nodded at Sasuke's explanation, "Yes, that is true. I would not want to interrupt their talk over their relationship. So, at what time will we be heading back home?"

"We aren't going back home tonight."

Hinata gave him a confused look, "What? Why not?"

"I already told you that we wouldn't want to interrupt."

Hinata huffed, "Do you believe that Ayame-san and Itachi-kun will be talking until late at night?"

Sasuke chuckled as he looked at his dark-haired beauty, she was a bundle of innocence and cuteness. "What else do people in love do late at night, Hinata?" He taunted.

Hinata frowned at the question, she tapped her chin in thought. She was going to tell Sasuke that she did not know, but the gleam in his eyes told her otherwise. Hinata squeaked and buried her head into Sasuke's arm to hide her red face. Sasuke chuckled at her reaction. At least now she understood.

"That reminds me, we need to get ourselves a room for the night. Hopefully, they have one available." Sasuke said. He then started to lead them to the closest Inn. Luckily, there were still rooms available. Sasuke requested a room for them. Hinata marveled at the Inn. It had a very homey feeling to it that she loved.

As soon as they entered the room, Sasuke excused himself to the bathroom to shower. Hinata proceeded to get ready for bed. She had not brought extra clothing, so she decided that she would sleep in her undergarments. She blushed as she took off her simple dress. The undergarments were made up of a thin white cloth. While looking at a mirror, she saw that the cloth seemed to emphasize the outline of her body, specifically her breasts. As soon as she took off the bindings from her chest, the white thin cloth hugged them. Hinata's blush deepened at the thought of Sasuke seeing her like this. She was still self-conscious of her body. From all the times he had her in his arms, he had not complained of her body. He had told her that he _loved_ her body.

Hinata moved to get under the covers of the single bed in the room. She instantly missed their bed from home. There was just something missing. As Hinata pondered this, she did not notice Sasuke entering the room. She did not notice him until he got into the bed with her. Hinata blushed at seeing Sasuke's sleepwear. He was only wearing his underwear and no shirt. He looked over at Hinata's red face from his side of the bed and shrugged his shoulders. Hinata knew that he had no other choice for sleepwear. Hinata smiled shyly at Sasuke. She let her eyes memorize the shape and outline of his muscles. Her hands itched with the want to roam her hands over his bare skin. As stealthily as she could she moved closer to Sasuke. Sasuke saw her movements and smirked. He wanted to pull her closer, but he was curious of what she wanted to do. As she got closer he was able to feel the warmth emitting from her skin. Sasuke inwardly groaned. He then felt her hand on his bare skin and he took a quick intake of air. His body tensed and then relaxed as she gently caressed his skin. Her nails softly raked his bare skin and that made Sasuke act. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her on top of him. His eyes quickly took notice of her attire. The attire hid nothing away from him and Sasuke smirked. It almost felt as if she were naked in his arms. He could feel every curve on her body. He bent his head down to kiss her lips softly. "I love your body, Princess." He mumbled out.

"I love your body too, Sasu-kun" She whimpered out.

Sasuke smiled and pulled her tighter into him. _One day, I will have you all. Your body and soul will be mine._

"Goodnight, Hinata."

"Good night Sasuke-kun."

Hinata smiled as she laid snuggled on top of Sasuke. She finally knew what was missing from earlier. _I missed Sasuke-kun's presence._


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Ooops, I may have published two chapters in one for the last chapter. That was the reason there was a "Chapter 27" in the middle of the last chapter. Ah well, you guys get a 2 for 1 deal :D. Anyway, this is the last full chapter that I have written for this story. To be honest, it could end right here. There are some loose ends that still need to be addressed but they aren't that major. This chapter is by far my favorite. I love the drama and the angst. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Don't own anything

Summary: An AU Continuation of Grim Peasant's story The Queen of Hearts. Disclaimer, this is vastly different than the original story. Not NaruHina.

Rated: M

Chapter 26:

Sasuke opened his eyes gingerly. The room was still quite dark, but he knew that sun was slowly rising. He let out a content sigh. He treasured the moments he was able to sleep next to the woman he loved. Her presence was a gift to him. She made him feel relaxed and happy. He took notice that Hinata was no longer on top of him. She might have rolled off in the middle of the night. Now her back was pressed into his front while his arm draped across her waist. He could feel his stiffness rub into her soft backside. He groaned at the wonderous feeling and he pulled her tighter against him. He decided that he could sleep in for a couple of more minutes before starting the day. This was his last day of relaxing before he would go back to the palace for some more knight training.

The next time Sasuke awoke was when Hinata was pressing kisses along his neck and jaw. Sasuke hummed in pleasure. He did not mind waking up like this every day. He pulled her tighter into his embrace. Her soft hands landed on his bare chest and she continued to kiss his neck. _What did I do to get this kind of affection?_ "Good morning." He told her. His voice was raspy since he had just woken up. "Good morning." She mumbled back. Sasuke moved his head to give her more access to his neck. "What did I do to deserve this kind of wake up?" He softly asked her. Hinata started to suck on a specific spot on his neck, "I love you Sasu-kun." Sasuke smiled, "I love you too Hinata-hime." Hinata blushed at his new way to address her. "Sasu-kun?" Sasuke lowered his eyes to look at her. She had stopped sucking on his neck and she was looking intently at him. He raised an eyebrow and silently told her to continue. "If you are the cousin of the King, does that make you a part of the royal family?" Sasuke nodded, "Yeah, I am a prince. I am the next in line to the throne if anything were to happen to Naruto. Itachi would have been next in line, but with his condition, The Royal Court Council had decided that Itachi was no longer fit to be in line to the throne." Sasuke turned his body so that he laid flat on his back on the bed. "I do not want to be King. I do not want to be royalty. I honestly do not care about anything like that." Sasuke then chuckled, "I remember two of the council members approaching me with a plan to get me to join their cause of replacing the King." Hinata gasped, "What did you do?" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "I denied and told them if they ever came to me again that I would kill them." Hinata nodded, "Did you ever tell the King?" Sasuke shook his head, "I did not have proof to back-up my claims. To add on, Naruto already had previous tension with those two council members. I did not want to cause anymore distress within the council. The council was always wary of me. They knew that Naruto would believe anything I told him. I did not want to give the council another reason to turn against Naruto." Sasuke let out a sigh, "The complicated issues are one of the reasons I would never want to be a part of anything royal."

Hinata giggled, "You are joining The Royal Court."

Sasuke let out another sigh, "My life is already becoming complicated."

Hinata frowned, "I am not able to understand why the council would want to replace King Naruto." Hinata then giggled, "I know Naruto lied to me and betrayed me, and those reasons should be enough for me to dislike him. However, I cannot bring myself to hate him. I cannot blame him for choosing someone else besides me. I was after all just a choice." Hinata then looked down to Sasuke's chest sadly.

"I told you the guy was an idiot; but if it wasn't for his stupidity then we wouldn't be here." Sasuke looked down at her. He let his arm rest on her back and pulled her closer to him.

Hinata smiled up to him, her eyes brimming with tears. "I must thank Princess Karin for her saving grace."

Sasuke groaned at the name and threw his head back tiredly, "I can't believe I used to love her."

Hinata gasped, "Y-You loved her?" _He loved her?_ She felt an ache run through her body. _Why can I not love anyone?_ She bit her lip anxiously.

Sasuke looked down at her and nodded his head. "Yeah, when I was a little kid. Naruto loved her too."

Hinata kept staring at him intently, "You both loved her?" _What are the possibilities that I would fall in love with two men who loved the same woman?_

Sasuke nodded, "She was the first love of our lives."

Hinata looked away from him, she was in deep thought. "So that was the reason why Naruto left me for Princess Karin? She was his first love." _Princess Karin was always deserving to be Naruto's bride._

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at her, "You didn't know?"

Hinata shook her head, "I-I thought he just loved her more. Now it all makes sense." Hinata smiled brightly, "I could never hate King Naruto for being with his true love." Hinata then frowned slightly, "Eh Sasu-kun, why did you stop loving her? Why didn't you leave me like how the King did?" Sasuke glared at Hinata, "Never compare me with the Dobe. I am insulted." Hinata gave him a small smile, "I-I'm sorry Sasuke-kun. I just wanted to know what changed." Sasuke's glare softened, he reached out with his hand to gently touch her navy locks. "You changed me." Hinata felt her heart flutter at his words, "Sasu-kun…" She murmured happily.

Sasuke's lips met hers in a soft kiss. Hinata pulled back, and she let her hand fall on Sasuke's cheek. "How did you fall in love with Princess Karin in the first place?"

Sasuke felt his eye twitch at the mere thought of the annoying princess, "Why do you want to hear that?"

Hinata smiled sadly, "I just wanted to know more about Princess Karin. She has been such an influential person in my life."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Hinata, I don't love her. I want to say that I hate her, but she will be marrying Naruto and that would make her a part of my family. Even though we may be family, I really dislike her. Even talking about her annoys me."

Hinata looked down sadly at his chest, "Okay, I understand."

Sasuke sighed, "Stop moping. I will tell you."

Hinata quickly brightened and smiled up to Sasuke, "Thank you."

"Hn."

Sasuke shuffled a hand through his hair, "The only way to explain is to first tell you the history of Karin. She was the first born of one of the royal clans in the Kingdom of Fire. She was a part of the Hyuga clan."

Hinata hissed at the sudden pain she felt in her head, she massaged her head gently. Sasuke looked at her in concern, "Are you okay?" Hinata nodded slowly, she had no idea why a sudden flash of pain ran through her head. "I am fine Sasu-kun. Please continue." Sasuke gave her a concerned look but continued.

"The Hyuga clan was one of the oldest clans in the Fire Kingdom. It stood alongside the Uchiha and Uzumaki clans. Itachi and I are part of the Uchiha clan and Naruto is a part of the Uzumaki clan. Karin is a part of the Hyuga. The three clans were known to be the most powerful clans in all the kingdoms. These clans are one of the reasons why the Fire Kingdom is feared. The Uchiha clan specializes with an eye jutsu called the sharingan. The Hyuga also have an eye jutsu called a byakugan. The Uzumaki are known for their large chakra reserves, fūinjutsu, and they are the only ones who can house the nine tails demon."

Hinata looked up at Sasuke in awe, "You are powerful, huh Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke glared slightly at Hinata, "Did you doubt my abilities?" Hinata quickly shook her head, "I always knew you were powerful, but to know that you are a part of the strongest clans in the world puts everything into perspective." Sasuke smirked, "You haven't seen half of what I am able to do." He huskily told a blushing Hinata.

He then sighed, "Let me continue before I ravage you." Sasuke shook his head to clear his thoughts, "Anyway, Naruto, Karin, and I grew up with each other. It didn't take long for us to fall in love with Karin. She was very kind, gentle, and soft-spoken. She was also very beautiful. She had short dark hair and white silver eyes. It became clear to me that Karin always preferred Naruto over me. I was fine with that. She was happy with him and Naruto was happy with her. Naruto would pamper her endlessly and Karin would love the attention."

Hinata gave him a sad smile, "Why didn't she love you?" Sasuke shrugged his shoulders, "I never pampered her or dished out compliments every second. I would watch over her and help her practice her clan techniques. I don't think she even knew I loved her. I never told her." Hinata continued to smile, "You were helping her get stronger. That it is a sweet thing to do." Sasuke chuckled and squeezed Hinata gently, "It doesn't compare to boxes of chocolate and bundle of roses." Hinata softly caressed his cheek, "It is her loss. Who wouldn't want someone to encourage her to be stronger?" Sasuke smiled and kissed Hinata's lips slowly. Hinata pulled away, she was at loss of breath. The raw emotions that Sasuke and her expressed in every kiss left her dazed. "Continue." She told him.

"The next part is the most tragic thing that had ever occurred in my life." Sasuke sighed, "War broke out in the Fire Kingdom and it lasted for many grueling months. The fighting was gruesome. The three powerful clans were significantly reduced in size. Itachi, Naruto, Karin, and I lost our respective parents in the battlefield. The last days of the war, the kingdom was on the brink of collapse. Naruto, Karin, and I were hiding out in the palace waiting for Itachi to come get us when the fighting had finished."

Sasuke clenched his jaw, "Naruto and I were just children. W-We didn't know what to do or what was happening around us. Some rebels infiltrated the palace and they had found us. Naruto and I told Karin to run away and that we would take care of the rebels. They easily captured us. They were about to kill us until Karin came to rescue us. She had fought off the rebels with ease. When the rebels were down, she went over to us and untied us. Unfortunately, there was still one rebel that managed to escape Karin. The rebel repeatedly punched Karin into the ground. There was a lot of blood. Naruto and I both tried to break free, but we couldn't. It wasn't until the rebel had a knife on her neck that Naruto lost control of the demon. Naruto's demonic chakra dissolved the ropes around us. Naruto went to attack the rebel. I ran towards Karin, and I saw that she was stabbed on her side and she was bleeding heavily."

Hinata subconsciously moved her hand to rub her side.

"Naruto managed to kill the guy. I tried to get a handle on Karin, but the blood was making it difficult to get a hold of her. Naruto was in an uproar and he was destroying the palace. Luckily Itachi had made it to us, but Naruto was in his Kyubi mode and it took all Itachi had to keep Naruto restrained. I laid down Karin gently by a balcony far enough from the fighting and ran towards my brother to try to help. Naruto had a huge burst of chakra and it started to crumble pieces of the palace. I was thrown back forcefully to where Karin was leaning on. My impact broke part of the balcony. I was in a daze and I hurt all over. Naruto kept yelling out and the demonic chakra kept intensifying. I was trying hard not to pass out, and that was when I looked over at Karin. She laid unconscious on the balcony edge. All around her pieces of the balcony were crumbling. I started to panic, and I wanted to go to her, but my body would not move. I cried out Naruto's name to save Karin. I screamed that she was going to fall if he didn't help her. I was panicking and hyperventilating. I had managed to fall on my side screaming for someone to help. I saw Naruto trying to rush toward Karin, but Itachi had finally suppressed Naruto. Naruto let out a final chakra explosion. This caused the balcony to completely shatter and it sent Karin down."

Hinata stared at Sasuke in shock. _How terrible for them to experience that sort of trauma at such a young age._ Hinata placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's cheek. Sasuke gave her a half smile, "I passed out soon after. The next thing I remember is waking up in the infirmary all bandaged up. I remember I woke up to an immense chakra wave. I felt myself panic. It was Naruto who was giving off the chakra. Itachi had just finished telling him that Karin was gone." Sasuke snuggled his cheek into Hinata's hair, "It was at that moment where Naruto and I lost our happiness. We had both lost the girl we loved. We both vowed to become stronger no matter what. We promised that to each other and to Karin." Sasuke sighed, "But even though we loved Karin, I think Naruto suffered the most. He was in a relationship with Karin. He had promised to marry her and fill her life with happiness. He did love her more than I did." Sasuke smiled sadly, "Karin, was his everything. It brings me great joy to know that he has her again." Sasuke chuckled, "I always felt terrible for loving the same girl as him. But for the first time, I am not being eaten up by guilt. I guess I never truly loved Karin after all. A part of me just thinks that the only reason I liked her was because I always tried to be better than the Dobe. I saw Karin as a challenge and I confused it with true love. I now know that I just liked her as a friend. Although, now calling each other friends is a stretch. I really do not like her." Sasuke shuddered at the thought of Karin. Sasuke then kissed Hinata's head, "I have you Hinata-hime. You are everything I ever wanted. I love you." Hinata snuggled into his embrace, "I love you too."

Sasuke let out a tired yawn, "Now you know my childhood romance. Did you have any?"

Hinata tapped her chin in thought, "I can't remember a time I was in-love when I was a child. I only remember ever feeling attracted to King Naruto before I met you."

Sasuke squeezed Hinata, "Good thing the Dobe is the only person on my 'kill list'. I can definitely beat him."

Hinata giggled, "If you do that then you'll be king."

Sasuke hummed, "I guess Naruto lives."

Hinata kissed Sasuke, "Let us get up. I want to go eat some breakfast."

Sasuke groaned, "Just a little bit longer."

Hinata pouted, "Sasu-kun."

Sasuke smirked softly, "I will buy you a cinnamon bun if we stay longer."

Hinata smiled brightly at him and kissed him on the lips quickly, "You have a deal." She then snuggled into his chest.

Sasuke smiled. _She is a sucker for sweets._

%%%%

Itachi had woken up very _sore_ but also very _pleased_. He was laying on the living room floor with a blanket covering his naked body. A warm and heavy mass was on his side. His eyes brightened at seeing Ayame sleeping peacefully by his side. He let himself reminisce over last night's activities. He felt himself smile. _She sure showed me how much she loved me._ Itachi couldn't help himself from becoming nervous. Where would this lead? He had a death sentence and it would be unfair to drag Ayame into this. Itachi pinched his nose in irritation, he already crossed the line when he accepted to sleep with her.

"Good morning Itachi-kun," Ayame murmured lazily.

Itachi gave her a small smile, "Good morning. How are you feeling?"

Ayame stretched, the blanket sliding off her body giving Itachi a beautiful view. "I am sore as hell. Itachi you may be dying, but damn. You have the stamina of a god."

Itachi blushed at her crude words, but his pride swelled at her declaration.

Ayame then snuggled into his side again, "Where do we go from here?"

Itachi shrugged his shoulders, "I was thinking the same thing."

Ayame started to trace shapes on his bare chest, "I don't mind being with you Itachi-kun."

Itachi tensed as he looked at her, "I am dying Ayame. I will not be here for a long time. I don't want to put you through this kind of pain."

Ayame laughed, "I think that is a bit too late. You had me wrapped around your Uchiha finger the moment you said hello to me." Ayame stopped playing with his chest and instead laid her head on his chest. "I know it will hurt Itachi-kun. I don't want to lose you. But I know it will hurt ten times worse if I do not get the chance to show you how much I love you." Ayame looked up into his eyes, "Please let me love you." Ayame brushed her lips softly against his, "Let me love you now since I have the chance." Itachi sighed against her lips, his eyes connected with hers. "Is that what you want?" Ayame nodded, "Only if you want it too." Itachi pulled her into a burning kiss, "I always wanted you." Itachi could feel Ayame smile as they kissed. Ayame separated from Itachi's lips, "Good. Now let's get up and clean up the mess we made." Ayame stood up in all her naked glory. Itachi felt like he could go for another two rounds. He stood up and wrapped his arms around her from behind. He bent his head to whisper into her ear, "You know, I could go for another…" Ayame walked out of his embrace, "Save it for another time, you sex monster." Ayame gave him a sultry smirk, "Let's not give poor Hinata-chan a heart attack, eh?"

Itachi sighed, he knew she was right. His little brother and future sister-in-law could be here any second. Itachi summoned a shadow clone to help with the mess.

"Itachi-kun, come help me get my panties that you flung to the ceiling! It is too high up for me to reach!" He heard Ayame tell him from the kitchen. Itachi sweat dropped, _Maybe I am a sex monster_.

%%%%

"I will burn the cottage to the ground if I find out that they used my bed." Sasuke told Hinata as they jumped tree branches. Normally, Sasuke would have walked on the ground with her, but Hinata decided that she needed the practice. Sasuke was not the type of person to walk away from a bit of training. Sasuke felt his pride swell at the thought of having a woman like Hinata who strived to be better. She had come so far that she was able to match his speed. She still slipped and struggled, but he was there to catch her if she ever fell. He felt immense pleasure in knowing that all this hard work she went through was because she wanted to prove herself to him.

They made their way to the cottage quickly at the pace they were going at. When they reached the cottage, he sensed that Ayame and his brother were still inside. Sasuke didn't sense any of that sexual energy so he assumed that it was fine for them to enter.

"Itachi-kun! Ayame-san! We are back!" Hinata yelled out happily.

Sasuke shrugged his coat off and hanged it beside the door.

"Hinata-chan! Sasuke-kun! You're back! I thought it was just some last-minute shopping?" Ayame giggled out from the kitchen doorway.

Hinata blushed at her lie, "W-Well Ayame-chan w-we just…"

Ayame waved her off gently, "Don't worry yourself. I know what you did. Thank you. If it wasn't for you I would have never gotten the chance to be with the big grump."

"I can hear you." Itachi told Ayame as he was standing behind her.

Ayame sighed, "You see! He is a big grump. But he is a handsome grump." Ayame turned to face Itachi and pinched both of his cheeks. Itachi sighed tiredly.

Hinata smiled brightly at the display, "Are you two together?"

Ayame smiled back happily, "Yes we are."

Itachi nodded, a small smile on his lips.

Hinata jumped in joy, "I am so happy for you both! We could go out on a double date!"

Ayame gushed at the thought of a double date, "We could go to those vacation spots for couples! There is a good one with natural hot springs!"

Hinata awed, "There is? I would love to go!" Hinata then sniffed the air, "Do I smell breakfast? Do you want any help?"

Ayame nodded, "Of course its breakfast! We need our morning nourishment! I would love your help, Hinata-chan. Let's go in the kitchen so we can talk more about this double date."

Hinata bounced off to join Ayame in the kitchen. Their excited chatter echoing through the cottage.

Both Uchiha brothers sighed at the overexcited females in their lives. Sasuke looked up to his brother, "Did you sleep with her?" Itachi looked up at his brother with a smirk. Sasuke nodded approvingly. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." The room filled with a comfortable silence.

"You didn't use my bed, right?"

Itachi let out a long sigh, "No, Sasuke."

"Hn."

%%%%

"How long will you be gone?" Hinata asked worriedly as she followed behind Sasuke.

Sasuke strapped his sword onto his back and he grabbed his weapon pouch from the top of the dresser. "A week." He was in a hurry to leave since he didn't want to be late for his Royal Court training.

Hinata sighed sadly, "I will miss you, Sasu-kun."

Sasuke turned around and kissed her lips, "I will miss you too Hinata-hime." He let his hand trace her cheek.

He then quickly walked out of the room. Hinata trailing behind him. Sasuke secured his black coat over his shoulders. The left strap was giving him difficulty. A soft hand landed on his left shoulder and started to untangle the strap. Sasuke gave Hinata a grateful smile and kissed her again. "I need to go Hinata. I will be late if I don't leave right now."

Hinata pouted, "I know. The house will be very lonely now that Itachi-kun spends his time with Ayame-chan."

Sasuke smiled down sadly, "Yeah, I know but he left you some exercises to do. He told me to tell you to not slack off on your training. He will be checking up on you every other day."

Hinata nodded, "Yes I know. Be careful Sasu-kun, okay?" Hinata let her face come closer to Sasuke and she pressed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Sasuke gave her a small smile, "Of course, hime."

Sasuke kissed her one last time before disappearing in a puff of smoke and leaves.

Hinata sighed sadly as the puff of smoke disappeared. She could not fathom of how _incomplete_ she felt when Sasuke was away. She looked sadly around at the quiet cabin. It was still early morning, so she decided to get some breakfast before training.

Hinata sat down in Sasuke's favorite spot to train. She had managed to climb the tree yesterday with the encouragement of the Uchiha brothers. Itachi had told her that her new challenge would be to use her chakra to stand on water. Hinata decided to not work on that exercise. She did not feel like plunging into freezing water every time she failed. She let herself meditate instead. She could feel that her chakra amount had increased. It was laughable when compared to Sasuke's or Itachi's, but she was proud nonetheless. She bit her lip nervously, there was one thing she had wanted to try but she was afraid since the last time she tried she ended up fainting. Hinata clenched her fists, she was not a child. She was a strong woman who can stand alongside Sasuke and Itachi.

Hinata took a deep breath, she moved her chakra slowly to her eyes. When the chakra met her eyes, the change was instantaneous. Her eyes were closed, but she could still _see_. The world around her was different. The only colors she saw were whites, grays, or blacks. She was also able to see _behind_ things even though the image was foggy and grainy. Hinata was able to see all around her without even moving her head. She gasped at this new ability she had. She felt that this ability was draining her chakra quickly. She took concentrated slow breaths to pin point where the chakra was not being applied correctly. She eased her chakra to flow slowly and naturally. Hinata sighed, this felt much better.

Hinata faintly recalled the two eye jutsu that Sasuke told her about. One was the sharingan and Itachi and Sasuke had it. What was the one that Princess Karin had? "Bakugan? No, wait. Byekugan. No… Oh right, byakugan!" Hinata shrieked, she saw the world around her become clearer and she felt veins pop out from the skin around her eyes. The chakra she steadily maintained was no longer in control. _Oh no! I need to stop this, or I will run out of chakra._ Hinata forced her chakra to recede from her eyes. The veins from around her eyes became less pronounced and her eyesight returned to normal. Hinata gasped, could it be possible that _she_ had the byakugan? _Does that mean that I could possibly be related to Princess Karin?_ Hinata frowned, but what about her family in the Land of Waves? Was she not a princess after all? Was she a member of the Hyuga? If she was a Hyuga then how did she end up in the Land of Waves in the first place? As far as she could remember, no other family member had her eyes, nor did they ever talk about an eye jutsu like hers.

Hinata frowned, Sasuke had told her that the byakugan was an eye jutsu for the Land of Fire. It was one of the powerful eye jutsu in all the kingdoms. She needed to go talk to Princess Karin. _She would know about the Hyuga clan more than I ever could_. Hinata nodded to herself, when Itachi came over to check on her, she will ask him to take her to the palace. She just hoped that she would not bump into Naruto.

%%%%

Sasuke sighed as he laid on his bed in his room within the palace. He was so damn tired. He knew that Naruto was in his study and he had wanted to go talk to him about Hinata. But as he laid on the bed, Sasuke passed out in exhaustion.

%%%%

Hinata had finished making her breakfast and she was sitting quietly at the table as she ate. The thoughts of what had transpired yesterday etched itself into her mind. _If I have the byakugan then I am not the real sister of my sisters. I am not truly a princess of the Land of Waves. Kiba-kun is not my brother either and my dear father was not my real father. Who is my real family? Are they even alive? Sasuke-kun told me that during the war the Hyuga clan was greatly diminished._ Hinata bit her lip. _Why can't I remember my childhood?!_ Hinata slammed her fist on the table at the frustration she felt. She never minded having gaps in her memory. Not remembering the days when she was a youngling never bothered her before. She always reasoned that the present was used to make memories for the future. The oldest memory she remembered was walking down the coast with her father at the age of 12, but anything before that day is a blank. _Is there any way to unlock a person's mind? I surely need some help._

"Hinata?" Itachi called out to her. Hinata blinked as she was thrown out of her whirlwind of thoughts.

Hinata swallowed her food, "Itachi-kun, I am in the kitchen." She answered back hurriedly. She heard Itachi's steps coming to her direction.

Itachi walked into the kitchen. "Good morning Hinata."

Hinata smiled, "Good morning Itachi-kun."

Itachi went over to sit down across from Hinata. "Do you want any breakfast?" Hinata asked as she went in for another mouthful of food. Itachi shook his head, "No thank you, Ayame already made me breakfast earlier." Hinata's smile widened, "Ayame-chan is doing you well. I have not seen you this happy before."

Itachi felt his cheeks slightly redden, "Hn."

Hinata giggled at the slight redness on Itachi's cheek. She then felt her nerves tighten, "Itachi-kun, I need a favor." She told him slowly.

Itachi looked up at her with a curious eyebrow raised, "What is it?"

"I need to go to the palace. I must talk with Princess Karin." Hinata told him seriously.

Itachi continued to look at her, "What for?"

Hinata shook her head, "I am sorry Itachi-kun, but I cannot tell you. It is a secret."

Itachi looked at her curiously, "I could arrange a meeting for next week…"

Hinata grasped Itachi's arm, "Please Itachi-kun, I need to speak to her as soon as possible. It is urgent."

Itachi's face turned serious, "Hinata are you in trouble?"

Hinata shook her head, "No! It is not that. Please Itachi-kun, I need your help."

"Does my brother know about this?"

Hinata shook her head again, "No, he doesn't. I would have asked him to take me to the palace, but he is away on training."

Itachi let out a sigh and he stood up. He gently pulled off Hinata's grasp on his arm, "Finish your breakfast and we shall leave."

Hinata's face brightened, "Absolutely, Itachi-kun. Thank you so much."

Itachi shrugged his shoulders, "You said this was urgent, so it must be serious."

Hinata nodded since her mouth was full of food. She could not wait to have her questions answered.

"Hinata, slow down. You will choke if you keep stuffing your face like that."

Hinata blushed at Itachi's reprimand, "I am sorry Itachi-kun. I am just nervous." Hinata twisted her hands anxiously, "I have not been in the palace since my… engagement to the King." Hinata bit her lip, "Itachi-kun, could I ask for another favor?" Itachi sighed, "You want me to keep you hidden from Naruto?" Hinata smiled and quickly nodded, "Please."

Itachi gave her a small nod, "Of course, I will try my best. But I must remind you that he is the King and I will not lie to him. I suggest you quickly wrap up your discussion with Princess Karin."

Hinata nodded, "Of course Itachi-kun. I do not wish to get you in trouble."

Hinata and Itachi made their way quickly to the palace. Hinata felt her adrenaline spike the closer they got to the palace. She wondered what her mini adventure would lead to.

"Itachi-kun, where does Sasu-kun train at in the palace?" Hinata asked as she jumped from one branch to another.

Itachi quickly dodged a falling tree limb, "There is a designated section of the palace grounds that is for The Royal Court. In that section, there is a training ground. While you were at the palace did you not explore around?"

Hinata frowned slightly, "No I did not. I just stayed in the Queen's turf for the whole duration. I was never encouraged to go out and explore."

Itachi gave her a sad look with his eyes. _She must have been very lonely during her stay in the palace._ "Hinata, why did you leave the palace?"

Hinata sighed, "I-I was told to leave." She said softly. "Do not judge King Naruto. He no longer wanted to marry me, and I do not blame him. He found his first true love again and I never wish to stand in the way of that."

Itachi smiled a bit, "You are truly a kind soul. If any other woman were in your shoes they would have attacked the King."

Hinata giggled, "I was very angry over his initial betrayal. However, I can no longer hold a grudge. If he had never met Princess Karin, I would have still been engaged to him and I would not be with Sasuke-kun." Hinata sighed happily and smiled, "Everything turned out for the better."

Itachi smiled, _Little brother, you have finally found a woman who will stand by you._

%%%%

Sasuke growled at his imbecile of a 'teacher'. He always knew that people feared Uchihas. He was not oblivious to the distaste and anger some of the kingdom's citizens held to the Uchiha. He did not let people's opinions of him get in his way. Sasuke clenched his jaw, but what he hated the most was when people used their position to abuse their power. Sasuke glared at The Royal Court Trainer. If looks could kill, the trainer would be dead.

Sasuke felt his sharingan wanting to activate, but he restrained himself. He didn't want his 'teacher' to dislike him even more.

"Sasuke! Is that your best combat position?!" The trainer yelled at him.

Sasuke clenched his sword tighter. _As if_ _ **you**_ _could do better!_

Sasuke breathed in calmly. _Don't lose control. Don't make this difficult for Naruto._

"Pathetic Uchiha. Almost as useless as your brother."

Sasuke felt his inner control shatter at the words. His sharingan activated. He could sense the fear emitting from the man. _Good._

Sasuke took slow steps toward the man. His glare intensified with every step. His mangekyo spinning. "I may tolerate you when you talk down to me." Sasuke felt his chakra crackle around him. He could feel his susano wanting to take form. "But I will not let you talk down to my brother." He let his chakra flare out a bit. The trainer eeped and rushed to move back. He moved too quickly that he tripped and fell to the floor in a flustered heap of uselessness. The man even had his sword was drawn and he was pointing it to him. Sasuke stood eerily still and laughed. His voice resembled a crazy evil cackle. He then snapped his head back to look at the man and he gave him an evil grin, "No sword can help you against me."

Sasuke disappeared and reappeared in front of the man, "Let me show you." Sasuke sent a punch straight to the man's face. He sent the man flying across the training ground. The trainer slammed into the floor, sending a puff of debris all around him. The smoke cleared but he stayed motionless on the floor. Sasuke chuckled as he flexed his hand, "And he calls _**me**_ pathetic. Tch." Sasuke turned around to see the head knight of The Royal Court.

"Sasuke…"

Sasuke frowned and let out a sigh, "I know Kakashi. Spare me the lecture."

Kakashi frowned, "Why are you being so difficult?"

Sasuke glared at Kakashi, "He had it coming for weeks. If he didn't see it coming, then that's his problem."

Kakashi let out a tired sigh, "Sasuke, that isn't the point. You must retain a cool head during battle. If you let emotions get in the way, it could cost you the mission."

Sasuke clenched his fists, "I already told you to spare me the lecture. I am not the Dobe. I already know that."

"Then why don't you do what you are told?" Kakashi countered back.

"I will not let anyone talk ill about my brother. Not now and not ever. I know he was just pushing my buttons; but to throw a comment like that is a new low and I refuse to let it slide." Sasuke told Kakashi.

"Sasuke you need to understand that The Royal Court is a new system. There are rules and protocol that every knight must follow. Your coronation is coming up in less than two weeks. Do not make me hold you back, because I will." Kakashi told Sasuke seriously.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"You are joining a league of powerful and professional fighters. I suggest you start acting accordingly." Kakashi told him as he was walking away.

Sasuke growled at Kakashi's mighty attitude, "And I suggest you recognize that the only reason why I am here is due to Itachi and Naruto. You can spare me the politics. I do not care. I only follow the King's orders."

Kakashi turned his head and eyed Sasuke, "Do you think we go against the King?"

Sasuke continued to glare, "I know that Naruto trusts me more than all The Royal Knights combined. If he ever wanted to get rid of you all, all he needs to do is ask me."

Kakashi sighed, "Just follow the rules Sasuke. We are not your enemy here."

Sasuke growled and he glared at the man, "Could have fooled me."

Kakashi's glare softened, "Sasuke…"

Sasuke pulled his sword tighter around his body, "Shut up. What is done is done." Sasuke walked past Kakashi, "But do not expect me to forget and forgive." Sasuke growled out as he marched away back to the palace.

%%%%

Hinata marveled at the palace, it looked much more different than she had seen it before.

"They are preparing for The Royal Coronation for Sasuke." Itachi told her as they walked through the palace's front gardens.

Hinata marveled at the beautiful snow that surrounded the gardens. She remembered a far memory of Naruto and her walking the gardens. It no longer sent a flutter through her. That Hinata was vastly different from who she currently was.

"Itachi-kun, do you have any idea where Princess Karin may be?" Hinata asked.

"I just assumed that she would be in the Queen's turf as usual." Itachi told her as they walked into the palace. The two guards paid her no attention.

"I assume that you know your way already. Meanwhile, I can go entertain Naruto for a bit as you talk to Princess Karin."

Hinata gave Itachi a grateful smile, "Thank you, Itachi-kun. I will not take long."

Itachi nodded, "I will meet you by the Queen's Turf when I have finished talking to Naruto."

Hinata nodded and she quickly walked away to go find Princess Karin.

Hinata marveled at the palace, the memories were bombarding her. Hinata shook her head, there was no time for a trip down memory lane. She has business to take care of. Hinata quickly entered the Queen's Turf. It did not change much from her memories. She wandered to where Princess Karin used to reside in. She knocked on the door.

"Enter!" A voice spoke from inside the room.

Hinata twisted the doorknob and opened the door carefully and slid inside.

Karin turned to look at her guest and her eyes widened. She frowned instantly, "What are you doing here? Did I not tell you to leave?" She spit out angrily.

Hinata bowed her head, "Princess Karin, my dear apologies. I do not mean to cause you discomfort. I have come back secretly to have a quick talk with you."

Karin placed her hands on her hips, "Then talk before I call the guards."

Hinata looked up at the princess and smiled. "I believe that you and I are family."

Karin's eyes widened, and her mouth stood ajar.

"I know that you are the first born of one the three royal clans, the Hyuga clan, which makes you a princess. The Hyuga clan can use its eye jutsu, the byakugan." Hinata blushed at the truth she was about to share, "I-I can use the same eye jutsu as well." Hinata clasped her hands together, "C-Could you show me how you use your eye jutsu? I would love to see if it is like mine." Hinata took a few steps forward and a giant smile on her face, "I-I would love to know if you and I are family."

"Get. Out." Karin spoke out to her angrily.

"Eh?" Hinata asked confusedly.

" _ **GET OUT OF MY SIGHT!**_ " Karin yelled at her as she violently rushed at her.

Hinata gasped at the turn of events. She quickly opened the door and slid out. She heard a loud thud on the door and it sounded like some porcelain crashed into the door. Hinata raised a hand to her beating heart. She felt her eyes to water. She had hoped that she would have found a family member who loved her. _Why does my family only hate me?_

Hinata could hear the destruction occurring in the room. Hinata backed away slowly from the room, her head downcast. She walked slowly to the Queen's Turf main hall. _This was just a waste of time. I am sorry I made you waste your time, Itachi-kun._ Hinata could feel a small tug on her lips. _Maybe I could sneak off to see Sasuke for a bit._

"H-Hinata?"

Hinata froze.

"I-Is that really you?"

Hinata started to feel herself hyperventilate. She clenched her jaw as she raised her head. Her white-lavender eyes met sky-blue ones.

Hinata bowed her head again, "Your majesty, I apologize for the sudden intrusion into your palace. I just came to talk with Princess Karin."

Naruto frowned at the way she addressed him. "Hinata…"

"I apologize once again, but I really must leave." Hinata raised her head slightly and gave him a quick nod. She then started to walk past him.

Naruto grabbed a hold of her arm and pulled her back. "Hinata, we need to talk."

Hinata looked at his hand that was grabbing her arm. She quickly ripped her arm from his grasp. "There is nothing to talk about, your majesty."

"Why did you leave me?" Naruto asked her. His voice was laced with pain.

Hinata looked up at Naruto, her eyes wide. "Y-You told me to leave. You already chose your wife and there was no use for me anymore."

Naruto growled out, "I told you no such thing!"

Hinata frowned, why was he lying to her?

Naruto's eyes widened at Hinata's frown. He had never seen her this way. "Hinata, what is going on with you?"

Hinata blinked, letting her frown disappear from her face. "I do not understand what you mean."

Naruto looked at her with his sad eyes, "You never used to frown at me. D-Did something happen?"

Hinata continued to stare at him, a small smile on her lips. "I changed."

Naruto frowned, "I don't like this change."

Hinata scoffed and turned away from him, "Lucky for me that I am not trying to impress you, your Highness."

Naruto continued to frown, "What happened?" He growled out. He did not like how Hinata was acting.

"I already told you, I changed." Hinata told him dismissively.

"What made you change?" Naruto bit out. His anger was lacing his words.

"I believe that is none of your business, King Naruto." Hinata bit back.

Naruto pulled her towards him forcefully. Hinata eeped at the sudden movement. Her face red in anger. She glared at Naruto as he glared back. "I am King and what I say goes. Now I will ask you one last time to tell me what the hell is going on with you." Hinata's glare hardened and she tried to pull away from Naruto, but his hold was too strong. "Or what?" Hinata countered. Naruto was about to reply, but a new voice entered the Queen Turf's hall.

"That is a good question, Dobe. What will you do?"

Naruto growled out at the intruder, "Teme leave. This has nothing to do with you."

Sasuke glared at his proclaimed brother, "Tch, it shows what you know."

Naruto glared back at Sasuke. Instantly, he felt himself being pushed back to the far end of the hall. Hinata was no longer in his grasp. She was instead in the arms of Sasuke.

"Are you okay?" Sasuke softly asked her.

Hinata nodded, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke gave her a swift nod before turning his attention to the enraged blonde.

"WHAT THE FUCK TEME?! LET HER GO! SHE DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU!" Naruto yelled out at him.

"I am courting her, you idiot." Sasuke calmly told him.

Naruto's anger was quickly subdued. He looked at the "couple" in shock.

"I was going to tell you yesterday, but I fell asleep." Sasuke said.

Naruto did not reply. He was still in shock.

Sasuke let out a sigh and pinched his nose in annoyance.

"Sasu-kun?"

Hinata's soft voice echoed through the hall and attracted the attention of both males.

Naruto felt his heart clench at the way that Hinata spoke the bastard's name. She had given him a nickname and she spoke it with endearment. He felt as if a bucket of cold water was dumped on him. The cold he felt was invading his senses. He felt numb to the world. His slow breaths the only indication of him being physically alive. Naruto walked back to the nearest wall and slid down. He grabbed a hold of his head. He felt the immense crushing defeat and it made it hard to breathe.

Hinata looked at Naruto worriedly. _What is going on with him?_

Sasuke looked at Naruto curiously, "Naruto, are you okay?" He slowly made his way to where Naruto laid. He looked completely defeated and it scared Sasuke to see him this way. Maybe he should go get Karin. She would cheer him up. "Naruto, do you want me to bring Karin? She can cheer you up."

Sasuke saw Hinata walking towards Naruto as well. He was going to stop her, but she gave him a glare. She continued to walk towards Naruto and she kneeled in front of him. Her hands carefully reached to grab his.

"Naruto-sama, you have your first love just down the hall. Do not hurt her the way you hurt me."

Naruto flinched at her words. "Naruto-sama, I am happy with Sasuke-kun. I love him, and he loves me. H-He helps me become strong. He treats me well and he wants to marry me." Hinata squeezed Naruto's hands, "Do you remember when you gave me those rings for our engagement? The rings were very beautiful, but I was not the one who was meant to wear them. Princess Karin is your first true love and you promised her that you will marry her." Hinata giggled softly, "Sasuke-kun is your brother, and I know he is hurting over seeing you like this. He loves you, Naruto-sama. When I marry Sasuke-kun, we will be siblings as well. I do not want to see one of my family members in pain." Hinata let go of one of Naruto's hands and used her free arm to slap him on the shoulder playfully, "Eh Naruto-sama, you may have broken your promise to me, but I am willing to give you another chance. Promise me Naruto-sama that you will never stop smiling."

Naruto looked up at her with sad blue eyes, "Hinata…"

"Promise me."

Naruto slowly nodded, "I promise." A small smile on his lips.

Hinata smiled softly, "Now go to her."

Naruto let out a sad sigh, but he nodded anyway. He let go of Hinata's hand and stood up.

"Thank you, Hinata."

Hinata smiled at Naruto. Naruto felt his heart beat increase at seeing her beautiful face again.

Naruto then looked at Sasuke, "You are a lucky bastard. Congratulations."

Naruto then moved to go see Karin, leaving the couple alone.

"Hinata, why were you in the palace in the first place?" Sasuke asked.

Hinata let out a long sigh, "I came to talk to Princess Karin." She settled herself on the floor. Her eyes tracing the tiles of the floor sadly as the thoughts of the previous encounter with Princess Karin entered her mind.

"Why?" Sasuke asked curiously.

Hinata stood up from the ground and walked towards Sasuke. She wrapped her arms around his neck and she felt Sasuke pull her closer into the embrace. "I just thought she might have been family." She mumbled out sadly.

Sasuke raised his eyebrow curiously, "Why would you think that? You are from the Land of Waves and Karin is from the Land of Fire."

Hinata snuggled her head into Sasuke's chest, "I know, but I have the byakugan. I just thought that since the byakugan is a Land of Fire eye jutsu, then Karin could have been a cousin of mine or something."

Hinata felt Sasuke become tense at her words, "Sasu-kun, what's wrong? You seem tense." She snuggled her head once more into Sasuke's chest.

"You have the byakugan?" He asked seriously.

Hinata frowned at his lack of enthusiasm, Hinata mentally sighed. _This is what I get for trying to impress Sasuke._

"I think I do." Hinata replied solemnly. She let her eyes close as she let her head rest on Sasuke's chest.

Sasuke let go of her and walked back, "Show me." He told her sternly.

Hinata pouted at Sasuke's disbelief. She let out a sigh and sat down on the floor. She moved some of her chakra to her eyes, but before the chakra connected to her eyes she yelled, "Byakugan!" The skin around her eyes turned veiny and she was able to see all around her. Hinata smiled brightly, "Sasu-kun I did it successfully! Wow, your chakra looks so powerful and it feels so warm." Hinata cooed happily. _It feels like I can almost touch it._

Before Sasuke could reply a loud yell from down the hallway caught their attention. Hinata did not have to turn her head to see Naruto running towards them.

"SASUKE! HINATA! KARIN SHE IS GONE! SOMEONE TOOK HER! WE NEED TO GO FIND HER!" Naruto yelled in panic.

Hinata could see Naruto's chakra flare wildly meanwhile Sasuke's chakra was calm.

"TEME! Did you not hear me?! We have to go find…"

"No." Sasuke replied roughly.

Naruto's eye twitched, "No?! We need to find her. She is the Hyuga princess!"

"We don't need to go anywhere. The princess is right here." Sasuke calmly spoke.

"Eh?! Sasu-kun I don't see anyone else here besides us three." Hinata told Sasuke. Hinata let her sight grow further and indeed no one was in the Queen's Turf except for them.

"Yeah, I agree with Hinata. There is no one…" Naruto stopped his rant. Hinata could see that he was looking at her.

"What is going on?" Hinata asked the two men curiously.

"Hinata you have the byakugan." Naruto told her.

Hinata nodded, "Yes I know. Why is that a big deal?"

"No one, but the princess of the Hyuga had the byakugan." Sasuke told her.

"But Karin…" Hinata started to say.

"She never showed me. She told me that her chakra was too distorted to be able to use the byakugan again." Naruto quickly replied.

"But… If the Hyuga Princess is the only person to have the byakugan… and I am able to use the byakugan then... Oh." Hinata's mouth was in an o-shape and her eyes were wide and unfocused.

"Welcome home, Hinata-hime." Sasuke told her.

Hinata quickly stood up, she began pacing frantically. "B-But I-I can't be this H-Hyuga P-Princess! I-I was never born here!"

Sasuke leaned on the palace wall casually, "You have the byakugan. That is enough proof that you are a part of the Fire Kingdom."

"But Sasu-kun, how can I be this princess if I don't remember you two?" Hinata asked.

"You did fall from the balcony, remember?" Sasuke told her.

Hinata frowned, "Yes I do. I-I mean I remember you telling me the story while we were in bed together, not me physically remembering as if I was the person who fell from the balcony." Hinata stuttered out embarrassedly.

"You sleep in the same bed as Sasuke?!" Naruto yelled out to her.

Hinata blushed while Sasuke rolled his eyes, "Is that all that you care about, Dobe?" Sasuke asked lazily.

Naruto growled.

"Please, I am not this princess. You must believe me. I am not the Hyu…" Hinata stopped talking. She had grown incredibly dizzy and she fell to her knees. She was able to hear people call out her name. _Uh oh, I forgot about the byakugan._ She felt herself fall forwards, but someone stopped her. "Stupid girl." She heard Sasuke tell her before she passed out.

%%%%

Hinata opened her eyes and she was met with the late afternoon light. She slowly sat up as she rubbed her tired eyes. She then looked around the room. It was not the same room she used while in the palace when she was engaged to Naruto.

"Finally, you are awake. You gave us a scare."

Hinata whipped her head toward the voice, "Itachi-kun w-what happened? Where is Sasuke-kun and Naruto-sama?"

Itachi continued to lean on the wall next to the window, he was looking at the snow falling. "Sasuke is in his room, while Naruto-sama is in his study."

Hinata bit her lip softly, "Itachi-kun, could you show me where Sasuke-kun's room is at? I want to see him before we leave."

She heard Itachi let out a sigh, "Hinata-sama, you can't leave. You are Fire Kingdom royalty. This is your home now."

Hinata gasped, "B-But, I-I want to go back to Sasuke's cottage. T-That is my home."

"Hinata-sama…"

Hinata shook her head violently, "No! I-I am not the Hyuga Princess! Please, let me go. I-I don't want to be here. I-I want to be with Sasuke-kun, you, and Ayame-chan!" Hinata felt herself tear up, "I-I don't want to stay here." Hinata let out a sob, "I-I want Sasuke-kun. P-Please show me where he is." She pleaded.

"I am sorry. You have been requested by the King to stay here. Since Karin was never a princess, she is no longer eligible to be his wife. That leaves only you to marry…"

"No!" Hinata cried out. She quickly got off the bed and ran out of the room. Her bare feet slapping on the cold marble floor and her tears blurring her eyes. _No! I don't want to marry Naruto! I want to be with Sasuke!_

Hinata turned a corner quickly and ran into the hard chest of a person. She felt herself relax as the person's arms wrapped around her. She snuggled into his arms as she cried softly. She felt his hold tighten around her as she was shaking from the tears. She felt his hand run through her hair in a calming gesture, Hinata felt her crying slowly stop. She was no longer crying loudly, just a few simple sniffles. "D-Don't l-leave me." She croaked out softly. She heard the person sigh. She wrapped her arms around his waist. "T-That was what y-you told m-me to p-promise y-you." Hinata tightened her hold, "N-Now I-I want you to p-promise m-me the s-same t-thing."

"I am sorry. I can't." Sasuke whispered to her.

Hinata cried out and she buried her face into his chest, "B-But I-I love you, p-please." She mumbled out through her sobs.

"I need to go, Hinata-sama." She felt Sasuke pulling her away from her.

Hinata panicked and she held tighter to him, "Don't call me that! Please! No! Please! Take me with you! I want you! Please, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke pushed her away with ease, "No, Hinata-sama." He coldly told her.

Hinata felt her heart break at the coldness in his voice. She did not stop herself from falling to the floor. Her body was too frozen to react appropriately. She did not care for the sharp pain that went through her skull as her head hit the ground. Her heart was breaking, and she was numbed to the world around her. She felt herself being gently pulled up from the ground by her arm, "I apologize, Hinata-sama." Sasuke told her. She flinched at his tone of voice and the way he addressed her, he was too distant and cold. She felt the tears continue to stream down her face. He then started to lead them to somewhere. Hinata did not care. She wanted to scream and cry at him. But for the first time since she met him, she had no will to fight. _What's the point of fighting when he won't be standing on the other side?_ She decided to let herself enjoy the warmth that his body provided where his hand touched her arm.

"Here we are." Sasuke told her.

Hinata nodded dismissively. He opened the door to a room and led her inside. He motioned her to sit on the bed and she did so wordlessly. He bowed his head and walked to the exit of the room. _Do something! He is leaving!_ Hinata clutched the fabric of the bed. _Damn it! Say something! Don't let him turn away like Naruto did. Fight for him!_ "Don't leave! Please!" She roughly screamed out to him. She saw Sasuke stop walking away. "I LOVE YOU! Please!" She sobbed out as she stood up from the bed. "Don't leave me like how Naruto left me." She whispered out. "Goodbye Hinata-sama." Sasuke told her. Hinata scrambled to where Sasuke was standing, "Do you not love me? Why do you think hurting the person you love is a good idea?" She rushed out to Sasuke in between her sobs. "P-Please." She cried out as she fell to her knees. "You are marrying Naruto-sama. There can be nothing between us." Sasuke told her roughly as he continued to walk away. Hinata looked at his retreating figure as he walked out of the door. The door clicking shut and leaving the room eerily silent with only a few of her sobs. She didn't know how long she sat there looking at the door. She just remembered blinking once and it was already morning. The door had finally opened and Hinata felt her heart race. _Did he come back for me?_ Hinata choked on the disappointment at seeing the two maids.

"Hinata-sama? D-Did you stay up all night?" Ino asked her gently.

Sakura held an arm to stop Ino from approaching Hinata, but Ino ignored her.

"A warm cup of tea should make you feel all better." Ino told Hinata as she approached the princess.

Hinata turned her eyes to glare at Ino, "Get out."

Ino faltered in her steps. She had never seen Hinata act this way. "H-Hinata-sama."

Hinata stood up angrily, "Get out! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hinata clenched her fists and cried out.

The two maids were shocked to see the sweet princess act this way. Sakura felt her inner self boil with anger. _What the hell did Naruto do to her?_

Hinata growled in agony and looked back at the two frozen maids, "Did I not make myself clear?! LEAVE!"

Sakura and Ino quickly bowed and rushed out of the room. Even with the doors closed they were able to hear the Princess's cries.

Ino looked worriedly at the closed door. Sakura looked furious as she started to march off. "Sakura, where are you going?" Ino asked.

Sasuke let out a huff, "Where else? That baka has some explaining to do!" _Oh, when I get my hands on him it will make him think twice over hurting Hinata-chan ever again!_

As soon as the maids left, Hinata threw herself back on the bed. Her cries ringing through the large and empty room. She felt her throat ache the longer she cried out, but she didn't give a damn. Her head was starting to hurt, and her nose was stuffed. Hinata felt her loud sobs decrease, but the tears kept rolling. Hinata closed her eyes to try to stop the tears. It did not take long for her to fall asleep.

%%%%

Naruto looked at the pile of scrolls and documents that littered his desk. He re-read the same sentence over 20 times and he still had no idea what he was reading. He angrily shoved the document away. He felt lost and disgusted with himself. He sighed anxiously, and he rubbed his forehead with his fingers.

 _Sasuke gently grabbed Hinata as she passed out. "Stupid girl." He told her as he lifted her into his arms. Naruto felt a pang through his heart at seeing his true love in another man's arms._

" _I will be taking her back to my room so that she can rest." Sasuke told him. Naruto growled, "No you won't!" Sasuke turned his head and glared at him, "I am courting her. She is my fiancée." Sasuke moved to walk to his room, but Naruto blocked his path. "She is my fiancée." Naruto challenged._

 _Sasuke glared at Naruto, "No she isn't. She left you. Now move and stop embarrassing yourself. It is pathetic." Naruto did not move, "Karin was never a princess. She would have never been able to marry me. I chose Hinata to be my wife. I have legal authority over her. I requested her presence in the kingdom and she had agreed. She is under my authority."_

 _Sasuke tightened his hold on Hinata. "She is the Hyuga Princess and she can decide who she can marry. You requested the Princess of the Land of Waves. To my knowledge, that princess never existed. Hinata is not under your rules of engagement."_

 _Naruto smirked, "Thank you for pointing that out, Sasuke. She is a part of the Fire Kingdom and that does make me her King. And as King, I will order for her hand in marriage."_

 _Sasuke's jaw clenched ad his glare hardened, "She has agreed to marry_ _ **me**_ _. She_ _ **loves me**_ _."_

 _Naruto felt his glare falter, but he quickly composed himself. "My orders are absolute and final, Sasuke."_

 _Sasuke felt his heart racing, "No."_

 _Naruto raised his eyebrow, "Are you defying the King's orders?"_

 _Sasuke continued to glare, "Don't do this Naruto."_

" _She will marry me." Naruto seethed as a bit of his demon chakra seeping out._

" _By force?" Sasuke bit back._

" _We have been lovers since children. You knew that. She has always loved me."_

" _Times change. People change." Sasuke told the blonde._

" _Let her go!" Naruto yelled out._

" _No!" Sasuke growled out. He was about to throw Hinata into a safe corner so that he could fight the blonde; but a hand on his shoulder stopped him._

" _Sasuke, let Hinata go."_

 _Sasuke whipped his head to his brother, "Itachi, I can't. She loves…"_

" _Let her go. Do not defy the King's orders." Itachi sternly told him._

" _I-Itachi…"_

 _Itachi swiftly picked her up from his brother's arms. "Please allow me to take her to my room. She would want to wake up to a familiar face. I will explain the situation to her." He told Naruto._

 _Naruto felt his demonic chakra seep back into his body and gave Itachi a nod. Itachi bowed his head, "Thank you, Naruto-sama."_

 _Naruto gasped and Sasuke stared at his brother in shock. Itachi lifted his head and walked back to his room with Hinata in his arms._

 _Naruto felt himself wanting to throw up. Never had Itachi ever called him 'Naruto-sama'. Itachi strived to make him feel as part of his family and he refused to alienate Naruto just because of his royal ranking._

 _Naruto swallowed thickly, Itachi was mad at him. He was very mad if he no longer considered him as a part of his family. Naruto felt tears stinging his eyes, he had used his position to get his way._

 _Sasuke regained his senses, he knew what his brother had done, and he was going to follow. Sasuke grit his teeth and he fell to his knees. His head bowed to the king, "My King, I apologize for my insolence. I will take my punishment for defying your orders."_

 _Naruto gasped at Sasuke, "Sasuke…" Naruto felt himself tremble, he staggered back. He didn't want this. "S-Sasuke, y-you're my brother. We are family! Get up!"_

 _Sasuke slowly got up, his eyes connected with his. "We are merely cousins, Naruto-sama."_

 _Naruto frowned. "If there are no other orders you command, then I shall take my leave." Sasuke said as he bowed._

" _Stop that!" Naruto growled out._

 _Sasuke looked into his eyes. Sasuke's face expressionless, "I do not understand your highness."_

" _Stop calling me that! I am your brother!" Naruto yelled at him._

" _I apologize, Naruto-sama. You are the_ _ **king**_ _and you must be treated as such." Sasuke replied emotionlessly._

 _Naruto looked sadly at the ground, "Fine, leave. Go away!" Naruto turned and left._

 _Sasuke looked at Naruto's retreating form with sad and pain-filled eyes. He clenched his fists, Itachi was wrong; Naruto did hurt him._

Naruto rubbed his head to clear his mind, but he couldn't. The way that Itachi and Sasuke addressed him brought a pain to his chest. Naruto sighed, he deserved it. He was acting like a jerk, but could they blame him? Hinata was his world. He would conquer lands and armies for her. They knew how much he loved her. _Why did Hinata fall in love with Sasuke, anyway?_ Naruto let his head fall on his desk, Hinata would turn around eventually. If her memories came back, then she would remember how much he loved her and how much she loved him in return.

A loud knock disrupted his thoughts, "Enter!" He said. He lifted his face from the desk and pretended to look busy.

"Naruto! What the hell did you do to Hinata-chan?!" Sakura yelled at him as she entered his study.

Naruto growled and clenched the pen he was holding.

"Are you just going to ignore me, huh?" Sakura told him as she stood with her hands on her hips. Sakura let out an aggravated sigh, "She is in her room crying her eyes out and she was angry. You told me you found her and brought her back, but it looks to me that she doesn't want to be here."

Naruto continued to ignore Sakura.

Sakura growled and slammed her hands on his desk. A loud crack rang through the room, "She didn't want to come back, huh? Why are you forcing her to stay here?"

Naruto growled and looked up at Sakura, "She is the Hyuga Princess, and she will marry me. That is all you need to know."

Sakura gave Naruto a confused look, "B-But what about Princess Karin?"

"She was nothing but a fraud. One of the Royal Court Units are looking for her now." Naruto told her as he scribbled on a paper.

"Hinata-chan doesn't want to be here, Naruto." Sakura forcefully told him.

"It does not matter. She will marry me." Naruto coldly said.

Sakura gasped, she never imagined that Naruto would stoop this low.

"Naruto…" Sakura gently said.

Naruto glared at Sakura, "I am your King and you shall address me accordingly."

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek, "Of course, Naruto-sama."

"You are dismissed." Naruto told her as he was looking through documents.

Sakura lowered her head and bowed. She opened the door and slid out. She hoped that Naruto did not see her tears.

%%%%

A week had passed, and Naruto had finally found the courage to go to Hinata. He softly knocked on the door. There was no response, but he knew she was there. Naruto sighed and opened the door anyway. He walked into the room and saw that she was sitting by the window in her room looking outside.

"Hinata?" He asked her to gain her attention as he slowly approached her.

Hinata moved her head slightly to see her guest. Her frown deepened as she saw who it was. She then shifted her eyes back to the window.

"Hinata, you need to eat." He told her as he looked at the untouched food in front of her. She gave no acknowledgement that she heard him.

Naruto sighed sadly, this was just as bad as he heard from the maids. Hinata would refuse to eat anything except for a couple of sips of water. "Hinata, you can't keep living like this. You need to eat something." Naruto let out a sigh at her silence; he was never good with silence. "In two days it will be Sasuke's coronation." He told her.

At the mention of Sasuke, Hinata looked at him. Hinata felt her heart flutter at the sound of Sasuke's name and she felt her cheeks warm up. Naruto felt the jealousy rise. _Why couldn't he get that reaction from her?_ "One of the best tailors in the kingdom will be coming to fit a gown for you today." Hinata looked away from him, tears were stinging her eyes. She already had a beautiful gown back _home_ that Sasuke bought her.

Naruto gave Hinata a sad smile, "Please eat Hinata. If you get sick, I will not let you go to the coronation." Hinata whipped her head to him and gave him a slight nod. She picked up the fork and started to eat slowly.

Naruto smiled a bit at her, but he then frowned at the reason why she was motivated. _Damn you, Teme._ Naruto bowed his head a bit, "I will visit you for dinner. Take care, Hinata-hime." The sound of broken glass made Naruto raise his head.

He looked up and flinched at the sight. Hinata's face was deathly pale and her mouth was ajar. Her eyes were wide and glistening with tears. She let out a painful cry and the tears began to stream down her face. Hinata covered her face with her hands to try to muffle her loud cries. Naruto moved to her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Hinata tried to push Naruto away, "L-Let me g-go! I-I am n-not y-your h-hime!" Hinata cried out. Naruto let himself be pushed away. Hinata moved across the room. Her arms were around her body as she cried. Naruto clenched his fists, he walked to the door. "Do not forget the deal." He angrily told her as he slammed her door shut. Hinata glared at the closed door as she cried. _The b-bastard!_ After a moment, Hinata moved back to her seat by the window and continued to eat slowly.

%%%%

The day of the coronation was a busy day. She was awoken in the early morning and for the first time since she had been trapped here, she felt happy. _I will get to see Sasuke!_ Hinata let the people around her do whatever they needed to make her look "beautiful". She did not care, she knew in her heart that she could be naked and Sasuke would find her breathtaking. _My Hinata-hime knows what I like._ Hinata could practically hear what Sasuke would say to her. She smiled and blushed at her thoughts. "Hinata-chan, you look very beautiful when you smile." Ino told her. Hinata rolled her eyes.

Hinata did not mind that she was entering the coronation with Naruto. Her mind was somewhere else. She imagined what Sasuke would be wearing. Hinata felt a pang in her chest, she wondered what he looked like. Hinata bit her lip nervously, she hoped that she didn't look too awful. _You? Awful? Tch._ Hinata calmed down at her Sasuke impersonating thoughts. She hoped that she would get the chance to dance with Sasuke. She wanted nothing more than to be in his arms. "Are you ready Hinata?" Naruto asked her. Hinata nodded. Naruto looped her arm around his and they walked through the two giant doors leading to the ceremony hall.

"Here to lead the way is King Naruto and his fiancée Princess Hinata Hyuga." The announcer said as they walked down the hall. There were murmurs and clapping, but Hinata did not acknowledge them. Normally, Hinata would have looked in awe at the beautifully decorated hall but she was concentrated on finding the man who held her heart. Hinata frowned at not being able to find him.

Naruto led them to a giant table in the middle of the hall. He pulled out her chair and Hinata sat there silently. Naruto then sat next to her. Hinata continued to eye the entrance, maybe Sasuke hadn't arrived yet. Naruto was talking to her, and she was only half listening. She managed to nod at the right times, but then her attention focused entirely on the entrance. She felt herself intake a breath.

"Here is the man of the night, Sasuke Uchiha." The announcer said from the entrance.

Sasuke was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt underneath. A lavender tie the same shade as the dress she would have worn. Hinata mentally smiled. _I would never forget you, Hinata-hime._ Sasuke's voice said in her mind. Hinata blushed, he looked completely handsome. His dark hair was wild, but it added to his charm.

"And his date Akira Tsumachi."

Hinata felt her blood turn cold, _Who?_ A beautiful woman with long hazel hair had her arm wrapped around his. A giant smile on her face as she waved at the crowd. Hinata felt her soul leave her body, the woman was wearing _**her**_ dress. _Forget me? Y-You r-replaced me._ Hinata felt herself grow dizzy; and then suddenly there was an instantaneous click that she heard in her mind. She felt a huge burst of chakra leave her body. She saw the table in front of her fly off to the other side of the hall. She let out a piercing scream and she heard the glass in the hall shatter all around her. The tears kept strolling down her cheeks and she fell to her knees. She screamed out louder as the people in the ceremony hall were yelling and being rushed out. _H-He betrayed me too! H-He l-lied. H-He made me t-trust him._

 _Sasuke pulled her tighter into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Hinata?" Hinata hummed happily and moved her head to look at him, "Yes, Sasu-kun?" Sasuke smiled down at her, "I love you."_

"LIAR!" She screamed out in agony. Another chakra wave left her body.

" _I love you Sasuke-kun." Sasuke held her in a tight embrace, "Never leave me." He told her. Hinata giggled at Sasuke's possessiveness, "I would never leave unless you tell me to." Sasuke cuddled his head in her chest, "I would never tell you that." Hinata smiled and softly combed through his hair, "Then I assume I will be here forever with you." Sasuke smiled and squeezed her, "I wouldn't want it any other way."_

"LIAR!" Hinata screamed again as another chakra wave left her.

She felt someone touch her shoulder. "I HATE YOU!" She screamed as she pushed a chakra infused hand into the person's chest. She ran away desperately from the hall. The chakra escaping her body was giving her a speed boost and she was able to outmaneuver anyone who got in her way.

Naruto coughed a bit of blood as he tried to pull himself out of the wall Hinata had punched him into. Naruto sighed, all his chakra points were blocked. _That byakugan is no joke._ Itachi and his Royal Court of Knights gathered around him, awaiting his orders. "Naruto-sama, do you want us to capture the Princess?" Kakashi asked. Naruto cleaned off his shoulders from the wall debris. He shook his head, "No. Just make sure everyone gets out of the palace safely." The Knights bowed their heads and left to follow the King's orders.

Itachi stood next to Naruto. "Yes Itachi, you are right as always." Itachi rose his eyebrow, "Are you going to go after her?"

Naruto scoffed, "Sasuke has that covered."

Naruto went to pick up his crown that flew off his head when he was sent flying. "Plus, it is _**him**_ that she wants." Naruto sadly sighed as he looked down at his crown, "I love her too, ya know. I was being a selfish asshole and I used my power for my personal gain. She did not love me and that killed me inside. I hurt you, Sasuke, and Hinata because I was being greedy. I lost myself and my family because of greed. I don't deserve to be king."

Itachi gave him a sad look, "Naruto…"

Naruto chuckled, "This job has made me lose sight of what was once important to me. I was born to be king. I did not have to earn it and it makes this job insignificant. When Sasuke comes back, he will be my successor and take the throne."

Naruto looked up at Itachi, "I will come back, I promise."

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, my promises have been just shit lately. I always end up breaking them somehow. That's one of the reasons why I think I need to leave and explore the world."

Naruto gave Itachi a determined look, "I won't be wasting time either. I will be a protector for the Fire Kingdom. I will coordinate with Sasuke about any suspicious activity I find. We don't want another war to happen."

Itachi looked at Naruto seriously, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Naruto nodded, "I have been thinking about this for a while now. Even before the whole Hinata thing. Hell, it was before Hinata came back into my life."

Naruto gave Itachi a sad smile, "I am just tired. There is no motivation behind what I do. I need to go do something with my life that gives it meaning. Being a protector will give my life some use and remind me who I was meant to be and what I am protecting."

Itachi placed a comforting hand on Naruto's shoulder. "It is good to have you back little brother."

Naruto smiled brightly, "It is good to be back, Big Bro Itachi."

" _I can see how much you and my brother love each other, and I wish to give you both a gift." Itachi said as he was sitting on the grass floor behind the cottage._

 _Hinata turned her head to curiously look at Itachi, "Is that why you were chopping down the tree?"_

 _Itachi nodded, "I am going to build another room and connect it to the cottage."_

" _A room for you?" Hinata asked._

" _No, it will be yours and Sasuke's wedding gift from me." Itachi softly smiled to her._

 _Hinata blushed heavily, "I-Itachi-kun, S-Sasuke-kun and I h-haven't t-talked about that."_

 _Itachi chuckled, "In due time, you will. Unfortunately, I do not have the luxury of time. When the times comes for you to wed, I will most likely be dead. Therefore, I wish to leave you both a present."_

 _Hinata smiled sadly at Itachi, "Itachi-kun…"_

 _Itachi shook his head, "I have already accepted my fate, Hinata. Save your tears for happy occasions."_

 _Hinata sniffled a bit and quickly nodded, "I do not understand why you need my help with the wedding present? I also do not understand why it is a room."_

 _Itachi connected his eyes to Hinata's, "It will be the room for your first child."_

 _Hinata gasped as she felt her cheeks redden._

" _I would love to be a part of my nephew's or niece's life, but I know that will be impossible. I decided to do the next best thing. I wish to build a room where they will feel loved and protected by their uncle." Itachi softly told her. He gave Hinata a small smile, "I will need your help to decorate it. What do you say Hinata? Will you help me?"_

 _Hinata quickly nodded, "O-Of course I-Itachi-kun. I-I would love to d-decorate the room of my f-future c-child with S-Sasuke-kun."_

Hinata gasped as a sob got caught in her throat as she ran through the forest.

She felt herself tumble into the familiar field, her eyes blurry with tears. She sunk to the floor and cried as she looked at the cottage. Her watery eyes were focused to the finished room extension of the cabin. _There is no family that I belong to._

 _His lips trailing up her neck as he whispered…_

"No!" She cried out.

 _Their hips pressed together in a sensual manner, his breath by her ear, "I lov- "_

"Liar!" She growled out.

Her sobs trembled through her body. _How many times do I need to be lied to before I understand that I am not worthy for happiness?_

Hinata stood up wobbly and made her way towards the cottage. When she stepped into the familiar surroundings she felt herself sob harder. _Was that other woman here too? Did she cook for him like how I did? Did she love him the way I did?_ Hinata ran to the room she used to share with Sasuke. She went over to the bed and she felt herself want to gag. _Did he make love to her like how I wanted him to do with me?_ Hinata quickly went down and started to look under the bed.

 _Hinata sat by the fireplace in the living room. Her nimble hands knitting the cloth carefully. The blush on her cheeks would not stop burning, but she could not help it. Whenever she worked on this project, it sent warm tingles through her. She was almost finished with her creation. Hinata felt the needle prick her finger and she instantly put her finger in her mouth to quell the pain._

" _Hinata, the baby cloth is looking very nice." Itachi said from the cottage entrance._

 _Hinata gave him a bright smile, "T-Thank you, I-Itachi-kun."_

" _I am impressed, you managed to successfully integrate the Uchiha Clan symbol. I know Sasuke would love it." Itachi told her._

Hinata grasped the wooden box and pulled it towards her. She quickly tore off the lid and picked up the garment in her hands. She felt the tears start again as she looked down at the knitted baby clothes.

Hinata quickly wiped her face and gathered her luggage bag. She scrambled through the room and picked up only the necessities. She wanted to leave this life as quickly as she entered it.

Her luggage was holding too many items and it would not close properly. This made Hinata cry out in frustration. She threw the luggage away from her and cried.

"Don't go."

Hinata looked up at the voice and frowned. She stood up shakily, her blue chakra was still enveloping her body. "You don't have any claim on me." Hinata seethed to the man.

The man stepped forward, "Hinata-hime…"

Hinata growled, "Do not call me that."

The man sighed, "Hinata, I lov- "

"LIAR!" She screamed. Her chakra whipping around her violently.

"Hinata, please." The man begged as he moved closer.

"Go to your whore! I do not want you. I do not love you. I do not want to marry you. I do not want you in my life." Hinata bit out.

"Hinata, you don't mean that. You love…"

"I HATE YOU!"

Hinata cried, "I waited for you to come for me. I prayed for you to come and take me away, but you never did."

The man looked away from her, "I couldn't go to you. The King wouldn't allow me to. I need to follow his orders."

She felt the tears sting her eyes, "T-Then you show up with _**her**_ in _**my**_ dress." She turned away from him and sobbed.

She felt his hand falling on her shoulder, "I have regained my previous memories, and I am happy to know that I never loved you when I was a child. If I didn't love you then, there is no reason why I should love you now." She whispered out.

The man's hand froze before it landed on her shoulder, "H-Hina-."

"I will marry Naruto just like how I always wanted."

Hinata made a familiar hand gesture and disappeared in a puff of smoke and leaves.

%%%%

Naruto laid on his bed, his eyes distant and unsteady. He wished that he could fall asleep already, but as always sleep evaded him. A soft knock came from the door. Naruto turned on his side, to face away the door. Another knock came from the door, and Naruto ignored it. The door swiftly opened, and Naruto growled. He was about to yell at the person, but his voice got caught in his throat. "Naruto-kun, I-I am sorry for being rude to you earlier. I-I have finally recovered my memories. I remember our walks through the gardens and palace. I remember the sweet kisses we shared. I-I do not know what got into me. Please forgive me, Naruto-kun."

Naruto eyed the woman suspiciously, "You remember?"

The woman nodded, "Yes, I specifically remember our date by the fountain in the garden. We shared our first kiss there and you promised to marry me when we were older."

Naruto's eyes widened, "You do remember."

The woman nodded, "Will you forgive me, Naruto-kun? I want to be by your side and I want to be loved only by you."

Naruto vigorously nodded, "Hina-hime, you are finally back."

Hinata flung herself on top of Naruto and cuddled her head into his chest. "Yes, Naru-kun. Please let me sleep with you tonight and every night for the rest of our life."

Naruto held her close to his chest, "Of course, my love."

%%%%

Hinata managed to only disappear outside of the cottage before she fell on the floor. Her chakra was depleted to extremely low levels.

"You remember?" Sasuke asked her as he walked to her.

Hinata turned away from him and did not respond.

"Hinata, please talk to me." Sasuke told her.

Hinata ignored him.

"Are you going to marry Naruto now that you have your memories?" He asked.

Hinata stayed silent.

"Answer me." He told her with a hint of anger.

Hinata swiftly stood up and started to walk away. She could hear Sasuke follow behind her.

They walked in silence all the way back to the palace, the sun was starting to peak from the mountains.

Hinata marched into the palace and made her way to Naruto's room. She did not care of how she looked or behaved. The guards outside of Naruto's room did not even dare to stop her from entering. She didn't give a damn to knock and she entered the room.

Hinata almost wanted to laugh as she saw the sight before her. Naruto was cuddling into his pillow and he had a line of drool running out of his mouth. She shook her head from the amusing thoughts, she had a mission to accomplish.

"Naruto-kun, wake up." She told the King.

Instantly the King's eyes opened, and he quickly threw the pillow across his room. He then sat up on his bed and turned his face to look at Hinata.

"Hinata…?" He started until she interrupted him.

"I remember my lost memories of my childhood and I wish to marry you." Hinata told him.

Naruto scratched his head confusedly, "Hinata, I can tell you are doing this just to piss off Sasuke. I may be an idiot, but I am not that _big_ of an idiot."

"That can be debatable." Sasuke said from behind Hinata.

Naruto was about to say something back, but Hinata beat him to it.

"Shut up! No one is talking to you. Now get out! I am trying to have a talk with my fiancé." Hinata sneered at Sasuke.

Naruto looked amusedly at the scene and laughed. "You heard her Teme, _**her fiancé**_."

Sasuke growled at Naruto, "You are not…"

Hinata forcefully pushed Sasuke out of Naruto's room, slammed the door in his face, and locked the door.

Hinata huffed. She then looked over at Naruto with a cold stare. Naruto gulped, now that he thought about it Hinata could always be very sweet or very cruel when they were little. He mentally panicked at the thought of seeing those cold white-lavender eyes during his childhood. _The last time I remember seeing them is when I got stuck in a broom closet. Now that I think about it, I think she pushed me in there._

"Um Hinata-chan, w-what are you doing?" Naruto shakily asked.

Hinata narrowed her eyes, "You are going to help me with something." She asked coldly.

Naruto paled, "With what?"

Hinata teleported in front of him on his bed, "With lovemaking." She whispered in a sultry tone as she let her hand trace his chest.

Naruto blanked out.

The door to Naruto's room burst open, the door of his bedroom slammed onto the opposite wall.

Naruto did not register anything as he looked at the woman in front of him in shock.

Sasuke managed to pull her off the bed and into his arms. Hinata continued to struggle against his hold on her. "Let me go!" She yelled out to him as she repeatedly hit his chest.

Sasuke ignored her protests, "We will be leaving. Good night Naruto." Sasuke proceeded to walk out of the room.

Naruto looked at them as they left, and he rolled his eyes. "Haku?" He called out to one of his royal guards.

"Yes, Naruto-sama?" Haku replied from the destroyed doorway.

"Make certain that the door gets repaired by this afternoon."

"Of course, your highness."

Naruto sighed and laid back on his bed. _This has been a_ _ **very**_ _long night._

%%%%

Sasuke successfully reached his room with an angry Hinata in his arms. He entered his room and swiftly threw her on his bed. Hinata yelped at being thrown and as she bounced on the bed.

"You have some nerve to manhandle me in such a way." Hinata growled out.

"Hn."

Hinata glared, "I already told you that I do not want to be with you. Take rejection like a man." She bit out.

"Stop acting like a child." Sasuke replied.

Hinata reddened at his accusation, "Y-You… b-bastard!"

"Let us talk like the adults we are."

Hinata turned away from him, "There is nothing to talk about." She stood up from the bed slowly, "I finally remember my childhood." She whispered out.

" _Princess Hinata, please come back! Your studies have not finished!" One of the palace maids yelled after her. Hinata could only giggle at the flustered expression of the maid._

 _Hinata ran through the Fire Kingdom palace carelessly. She had no intention to stay indoors on a beautiful day like today. She made her way to the palace gardens. It was the only place that comforted her._

 _She ran through the garden all the way to her favorite spot. The giant fountain stood proudly in the middle of all the different types of flowers. The sound of rushing water relaxed her. She thumbed the water playfully and she giggled._

" _Aren't you supposed to be in class?"_

 _Hinata turned to look at the dark-haired boy._

" _I have other plans." She told him softly. She turned away from the boy and focused back on the fountain._

" _Hn." He said._

 _She sighed as she heard the boy's response._

 _Time passed yet the two did not speak to each other. They were both comfortable in the silence that hovered over them._

 _Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by a loud blonde boy._

" _HINATA! There you are! The maids told me you skipped out on lessons again. Your father looked super mad and scary." The blonde boy shivered slightly as he made his way towards her._

 _Hinata looked over to the boy and smiled brightly at his appearance. "N-Naruto, how did you find me?"_

 _Naruto smiled, and he scratched the back of his head nervously, "I had to ask a bunch of people if they had seen you."_

 _Hinata nodded at his response. She then looked over to the other boy, "How did you find me, Sasuke?"_

 _Sasuke rolled his eyes and ignored her question._

" _Stop ignoring Hinata-hime, you bastard!" Naruto cursed to his cousin._

" _Hn." Sasuke replied._

 _Naruto rolled his eyes, "Don't mind him, Hinata-hime. He is always moody. C'mon, I found this awesome cave on the other side of the palace. It looks like its haunted." Naruto extended his hand to her. Hinata looked at it for a bit and then she looked over to Sasuke who was turned away from them._

" _Maybe another time, Naruto. I-I think…" Hinata started to say._

" _Nonsense!" Naruto grabbed her hand and pulled her gently to him. "I promise we will have fun." He told her with a bright smile._

 _Hinata felt her heart race at being so close to the boy she had a crush on. She smiled brightly toward him and she nodded her head. "Alright, let's go." Naruto smiled and started to lead her away._

" _Sasuke, do you want to join us?" Hinata asked._

 _Before Sasuke could respond, Naruto interrupted. "You know how moody he is. He never does anything fun."_

 _Hinata frowned at Naruto's interjection, but she quickly returned her smile. 'Naruto means well. He probably just wants to spend some alone time with me.' She thought fondly._

 _It wasn't until late in the evening that her and Naruto returned to the palace. They had a wonderful time exploring the supposedly haunted cave. Luckily for them it was not haunted._

 _Hinata walked the deserted halls of the palace alone once her and Naruto departed to separate areas of the palace. Unlike Naruto, she had no fears over being left alone. She almost preferred it over a huge party. The silence and peace gave her the perfect opportunity to think. Well as much as a 10-year-old could think. She stopped walking. 'What is he doing here at this late hour?'_

" _You aren't the only one who likes to be alone." He unknowingly answered her question._

 _Hinata slowly made her way to the boy. "I'm sorry if I bothered you, Sasuke. I will leave you to whatever you were doing."_

 _She started to turn away from the boy, but his voice stopped her._

" _You don't bother me." He told her._

 _Hinata felt her cheeks redden, and she felt butterflies. She turned to look at the dark-haired boy. He was sitting on a window pane and he was looking outside the window. The wind softly blew on his dark tresses. His whole demeanor was calm and relaxed. 'He is the opposite of Naruto. Where Naruto is bubbly, he is stoic. Where Naruto is ecstatic, he is pleased.'_

" _I found you at the garden because I knew that was your favorite spot." He told her without looking at her._

 _Hinata's breath hitched. 'He knew something about me?' She felt her heart beat increase as she repeated his words in her mind._

" _Since you know one of my favorite things then it is only fair for me to know a favorite thing of yours." She told him._

 _Sasuke turned his head away from the window to look at her. He gave her a smirk, "Tomatoes." He then turned back to look out of the window._

 _Hinata smiled gently and she slowly sat down on the floor beside the window. They were both siting and enjoying the silence._

%%%%

Sasuke moved to her, "What do you remember?" He asked gruffly. His hand coming to contact with her waist. He gently tugged her towards him.

Hinata sighed, "I-I remember when Naruto proposed." She whispered out as she struggled mildly against Sasuke's hold.

%%%%

 _Naruto had asked her to meet him at the garden for a date. They had been dating for a couple of months already and Hinata could not be happier._

 _Hinata sat on the ledge of the garden fountain. She was waiting for Naruto to show up. A maid had informed her that Naruto was at a royal meeting with his parents. Hinata sighed sadly as she played with the fountain water. 'It is cold. Winter is upon us and the flowers will shrivel up.' Hinata thought sadly._

" _Sorry I'm late Hinata-hime, my parents decided to have a last-minute meeting. Here, I brought you these." Naruto said as he handed her a bouquet of red roses._

 _Hinata blushed and smiled at the gesture. "Thank you, Naruto. These are lovely."_

" _Not as lovely as you." Naruto told her with a sheepish grin._

 _Hinata's blush deepened and she shyly looked away from him._

" _I love you, Hinata. When I grow up I know that I want to marry you." He seriously told her as he sat next to her on the fountain ledge._

 _Hinata looked at him with wide eyes, "N-Naruto…"_

 _Naruto shook his head slightly, "I know I may be too young, but this feeling I feel for you is real. You make me happy and I want you by my side."_

 _Hinata continued to stare at him, a nagging feeling entered her mind. 'You may want me to by your side, but what about me? Do I not have a choice?'_

 _Naruto smiled as he scratched the back of his neck, "Actually, the whole meeting with my parents was because of this. I was asking them if I could marry you when we get older." He took a gentle hold of her free hand, "They said 'yes'. Can you believe that? We are going to be together forever!" He squeezed her hand._

" _Together forever?" She whispered out to him softly. Hinata felt the sting of unshed tears. She could clearly remember those same words from her darling little sister Hanabi. 'How many weeks has it been since you and father left this world?' Hinata wondered. 'I miss you two so much. Why did you have to go so soon? Why?' The memories of her deceased beloved family members brought stinging tears to her eyes._

 _Hinata connected her watery eyes to Naruto's, "Do you mean that, Naruto? We will be together forever?" She asked desperately. 'Please don't leave me like how father and Hanabi did.'_

 _Naruto smiled and nodded, "You have my word."_

 _Hinata let the tears fall and she let the flowers fall to the ground as she wrapped her arms around Naruto. "O-Oh N-Naruto, thank you." She cried out._

 _Naruto wrapped his arms around the girl, "You are welcome."_

" _NARUTO! COME HERE YOU LITTLE RASCAL! HOW DARE YOU LEAVE ALL THIS MESS IN THE KITCHEN!" An angry yell boomed across the garden._

 _The two children flinched. Naruto quickly let go of Hinata, "I gotta go, mom sounds pissed! Bye Hinata-hime!" Naruto yelled out to her as he ran away._

 _Hinata sighed at the blonde as he scrambled away. 'He is always up to some sort of shenanigan. Hopefully, the Queen isn't too mad at him.' She thought hopefully. She then started to bend down to pick up the roses that Naruto had given her, but a voice spoke to her._

" _Marriage, huh?"_

 _Hinata quickly stood up and turned around to face the mysterious voice. She blushed, "Y-Yes, h-he proposed."_

 _The boy smirked, "Proposed? He just told you that he was going to marry you. He never gave you a choice. He made the choice for you."_

 _Hinata's blush deepened in embarrassment and she turned away from the boy. "I-I want Naruto and I to be together forever."_

" _Hn."_

 _Hinata huffed, "You don't understand, Sasuke."_

 _Sasuke rolled his eyes, "You lost your family, so you are clinging to the dobe as a lifeline."_

 _Hinata gasped and she turned around to look at Sasuke in shock._

 _Sasuke connected his eyes to hers, "You shouldn't rely on other people to fix you. If you think marrying Naruto would make the pain go away, then you are sadly mistaken."_

 _Hinata clenched her fists, "How could you possibly know anything about what I am going through?" She angrily spit out to him._

" _I don't. But I do know that pain can be wielded to strengthen yourself. Pain can either be your downfall or your rise to greatness. You decide." Sasuke sighed as he looked at the rose petals that littered the ground, "Marry the dobe. I don't care." Sasuke walked forward and picked up the fallen bouquet. He then looked up at her and smirked, "But maybe you should get yourself a husband who knows your favorite type of flower first." He handed her back the bouquet._

 _Hinata reached out for it hesitantly._

" _Good night, Hyuga." He said as he walked away from the garden._

 _Hinata could only stare at his retreating back and as soon as he left she let out a tired sigh. Deep down she knew that he was right. Hinata hugged the bouquet to her chest and she looked at it lovingly. She let out a tiny gasp._

 _In the middle of the roses stood a light purple lily._

%%%%

Sasuke tightened his hold on her, "Tell me Princess, what else do you remember?" He whispered out to her as he kissed her neck. His hand had reached behind her and softly caressed her back.

Hinata softly struggled in his hold, "I-I remember our training sessions."

%%%%

" _I want you to spar with me." Hinata asked Sasuke._

 _Sasuke looked up at her with a bored expression, "Why would I want to train with you?"_

" _You told me that pain can destroy or strengthen me. I want to strengthen myself." Hinata told him._

 _Sasuke glared at Hinata for a moment before he stood up. "Fine. I won't go easy on you. I expect you to pick up your own slack."_

 _Hinata quickly nodded._

 _Their sessions soon became their favorite part of the day._

 _Hinata loved the_ _ **freedom**_ _that the sessions provided her. She was a clumsy mess, but Sasuke would never judge her. He would tell her to work harder and work harder she did. She never imagined how such simple words and simple actions could empower her so much._

 _She sighed tiredly as she leaned on the tree trunk. Sasuke was out with his older brother on a mission of some sort. Hinata had wanted to go, but missions were specifically handed out by the King. 'I hope Sasuke-kun and Itachi-kun are safe.' She sent a silent prayer for their safe return._

 _Hinata looked down at her left hand. Naruto had given her a beautiful engagement ring. She had accepted the ring happily, but as the days went on she felt a growing amount of dread at seeing the ring. The ring felt like a gilded cage. She cared about Naruto deeply and she knew that she wanted to be in his life forever. However, she was not sure whether she wanted to be by his side as a wife. She knew that Naruto would be a loving husband, but she no longer saw herself as the wife he wanted._

 _She was no longer the shy girl who shied away from confrontations. She knew how to hold out on her own. She had grown into a girl she didn't even know she could be. And it was all because of Sasuke._

' _Sasuke…' She thought fondly. A growing blush on her cheeks burned slightly and a myriad of butterflies fluttered in her stomach._

 _He was the rock that supported her through all the pain and suffering. If she was lost all she needed to do was look for him and she would find her way back. He was the one who pushed her to be stronger than she could ever imagine. Now that she stood up proudly, she knew that Naruto could never stand by her side. They have grown so far apart in the couple of months._

 _The night that Naruto proposed felt like a lifetime ago. It felt like a passing dream and to her, it might as well have been. The night was beautiful, and his smile was bright. Her smile was happy, and her feelings were pure. 'That Hinata is no longer who I am.' She thought sadly. She twirled the ring around her finger mindlessly._

" _I hope you aren't skipping out on your training."_

 _Hinata gasped and turned to the voice. "I was just taking a small break, Sasuke-kun."_

" _Hn." The boy replied._

 _Sasuke moved to the center of the field. "Fight me." He told her._

 _Hinata nodded and she charged at the boy. She swiped her hand down and Sasuke evaded her reach. She rushed at him again. 'This is what I grew into.' She jumped back as Sasuke tried to swipe her legs from beneath her. 'I grew into a partner for him.' She thought as their bodies were pressed against each other. She had tried to swipe his legs from underneath him, but she miscalculated and ended up on the floor instead. Sasuke had quickly pinned her down. His face was mere inches away from hers. "I win." He whispered out. She could only nod as she stared into his black eyes._

%%%%

"You were always mine, Hinata." Sasuke whispered into her ear.

Hinata shuddered at his warm breath caressing her skin. "I-I was engaged to Naruto." She replied.

She felt Sasuke chuckle, "It was only a matter of time when you would have left him." She felt him kiss her neck.

"S-Sasu…" She mewled out.

"I love you Hinata." He told her as he sucked a spot on her neck.

The feelings of angst, desperation, and sadness left her with every heartfelt cry that escaped her lips.

"Forgive me for all the pain I caused you." He mumbled out as he moved his hands in circles on her hips.

"I want you and only you. I always have." He said as she felt him loosen her dress.

"Tell me that you love me." He told her. He cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. "Tell me that you want me just as much as I want you."

Hinata nodded and she pressed her lips forcibly on his. Her tears mixing in with the kiss created a sinful bliss. She turned her body around and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Sasuke. I will follow you anywhere." She told him as she separated her lips slightly from his.

Her dress had fallen to the ground and she was pushed back onto the bed. Sasuke moved on top of her. His weight resting comfortable on hers.

"Promise me you will never leave me again." Hinata asked as her lips pressed multiple kisses across Sasuke's jawline.

"I promise." Sasuke whispered out.

Her body twisted and turned at the attention it was receiving by Sasuke. Hinata could only gasp and moan underneath him. As she was reaching heavenly bliss, a small vase on the small desk beside the bed caught her attention. _Purple lilies were always my favorite. You always knew me, Sasuke._


End file.
